i 


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in  the  month  of  February,  1897. 


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DURER'S 
ENGRAVINGS,  DRY-POINTS, 
AND  ETCHINGS. 


A  CHRONOLOGICAL  CATALOGUE 


OF  THE 

ENGRAVINGS,  DRY-POINTS 
AND  ETCHINGS 

OF 

9i\btvt  Btirer 

AS    EXHIBITED   AT   THE    GROLIER  CLUB 

COMPILED  BY 

S.  R.  KOEHLER 


THE  GROLIER  CLUB  OF  NEW  YORK 

MDCCCXCVII 


Copyright,  1897,  by  the  Grolier  Club. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

Introduction. 

PAGE 

I.  The  Meaning  of  Diirer's  Work   i 

II.  The  Chronology  of  Diirer's  Engravings   ix 

III.  The  Influence  of  the  Antique  an^of  Italian  Art  on 

Diirer   xx 

IV.  Was  Diirer  a  Copyist?   xxiii 

V.  Did  Durer  Invent  Etching?   xxiv 

VI.  The  Technical  Processes  employed  by  Durer    .   .   .  xxvi 

VII.  The  Printing  of  Diirer's  Plates   xxxviii 

VIII.  Diirer's  Price-list   xlii 

IX.  The  Scope  and  Value  of  the  Present  Exhibition  .   .  xliv 

Biographical  Illustrations   xlix 

Durer's  Engravings,  Dry-Points,  and  Etchings  ....  ■  i 

Engravings  attributed  to  Durer,  either  Doubtful  or 

Spurious   89 

Supplementary  Illustrations   94 

Finding  List   97 

List  of  Books  and  Papers  Consulted   99 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS' 


FACING 
PAGE 


The  Genesis  of  Durer's  Adam.    (No.  34)   40 

Apollo  and  Diana.    (No.  36)   42 

St.  Veronica  with  the  Sudarium.    (No.  62)   53 

St.  Jerome  by  the  Willow  Tree.    (No.  65)   55 

The  Holy  Family.    (No.  66)   56 

The  Small  Crucifixion.    (Nos.  88a,  88b,  88c,  enlarged)  .  .  75 

The  Great  Courier    (No.  103)  •  89 


INTRODUCTION. 


I.  The  Meaning  of  Durer's  Work. 

Of  all  the  artists  whose  names  are  in  everybody's  mouth,  Diirer  is  the 
one  least  understood.  Max  Allihn  is  quite  right  when  he  says  of  some 
of  his  compositions  that  they  "may  be  fittingly  likened  to  the  sphinx  of 
the  old  legend,  for  they  attack  every  one  who,  either  as  critic  or  his- 
torian, or  harmless  wanderer,  enters  the  realm  of  art,  and  propose  to 
him  their  insolvable  riddles."  And  if  the  truth  were  told,  it  would  be 
found  that  all  so  attacked  were  vanquished,  and  that  they  ought  to  be 
counted  among  the  dead. 

The  difficulties  which  beset  the  Diirer  student  are  manifold,  and  of  a 
peculiar  kind.  Rembrandt,  who  always  comes  up  in  the  mind  as  Durer's 
rival  in  the  fascination  which  he  exercises  upon  those  who  venture  within 
the  reach  of  his  influence,  repulses  at  first  by  his  apparent  ugliness,  and 
to  the  specialist  in  prints  brings  many  a  sore  trial  through  the  Protean 
shapes  which  his  plates  assume  in  the  way  of  "states,"  but  as  to  the 
subject  matter  of  his  compositions,  it  is  as  easily  understood  as  the  con- 
versation of  a  neighbor  of  to-day.  The  truth  is  that  Rembrandt  is  thor- 
oughly modern,  and  utters  his  homely  but  heartfelt  sentences  in  simple 
speech,  which  only  gains  from  what  there  still  adheres  to  it  of  an  anti- 
quated flavor.  As  to  his  genesis  and  the  reason  for  his  being  and  ap- 
pearing just  where  and  as  he  did,  these  also  are  perfectly  clear,  and  can 
be  deduced  logically  from  the  conditions  which  preceded  and  surrounded 
him.  With  Diirer,  on  the  other  hand,  all  this  is  different.  He  does  not, 
indeed,  trouble  us  with  "states,"  for  among  all  his  authenticated  works  of 

i 


INTRODUCTION. 


importance  there  is  only  one,  the  "Adam  and  Eve,"  of  which  two  states, 
properly  so  called,  are  known,  nor  does  he  shock  us  with  apparently 
vulgar  ugliness,  however  far  removed  his  creations  may  be  from  the  Ital- 
ian ideal  of  beauty  as  we  admire  it  in  Raphael.  But  when  we  come  to 
inquire  into  the  course  of  his  development,  and  seek  to  understand  the 
influences  which  assisted  in  the  shaping  of  his  mind,  we  are  at  once  con- 
fronted by  serious  obstacles,  and  our  troubles  increase  as  we  enter  upon 
the  task  of  the  interpretation  of  his  works.  It  seems  as  if  it  were  more 
difficult  even  to  understand  Dtirer  than  the  older  artists  still  farther  re- 
moved from  us,  not  only  in  time,  but  also  in  feeling.  And  therein  we 
may  possibly  find  a  first  clue  to  the  nature  of  our  troubles.  These 
older  men  were  of  the  same  metal  throughout,  and  thus  present  a  unity 
which,  although  foreign  to  us,  we  may  hope  to  understand  by  contrast. 
Rembrandt,  on  the  other  hand,  is  thoroughly  modern, —  cast  in  the 
same  mold  in  which  we  were  cast,— arid  we  understand  him,  therefore 
by  similarity.  Diirer,  however,  is  neither  the  one  nor  the  other,  or 
rather,  he  is  both.  We  think  we  have  divined  his  innermost  thoughts 
by  approaching  him  from  the  side  of  the  Middle  Ages,  when,  lo  and  be- 
hold, we  suddenly  find  ourselves  face  to  face  with  an  idea  with  which  the 
Middle  Ages  had  nothing  to  do;  and  we  are  equally  vanquished  if  we 
look  at  him  from  a  modern  point  of  view.  It  is  this,  precisely,  that 
makes  him  so  thoroughly  typical  of  his  age,  which  was  racked  and  con- 
fused by  conflicting  desires :  the  love  of,  and  inability  to  get  away  from, 
old  ideals ;  an  undefined  longing  for  the  new  out  of  which  the  modern 
world  was  to  rise ;  and  the  vain  hope  that  by  returning  to  the  dead  past, 
as  embodied  in  the  Rome  of  antiquity,  the  two  might  be  reconciled  and 
enjoyed  together.  Diirer  himself  has  given  very  characteristic  literary 
embodiment  to  the  crude,  illogical  thinking  of  the  Renaissance  in  one  of 
his  drafts  for  an  introduction  to  his  book  on  the  proportions  of  the  hu- 
man body,  still  preserved  in  the  British  Museum.  Having  expressed 
his  regret  at  the  loss  of  the  "  noble  books  "  of  the  ancients  on  kindred 
subjects,  which,  he  opines,  may  have  been  suppressed  and  utterly  de- 

ii 


INTRODUCTION. 


stroyed  in  the  beginning  of  the  Church,  from  hatred  of  idolatry,  he  con- 
tinues: "Should  it  be  as  I  conjecture,  and  had  I  been  present  at  the 
time,  I  would  have  said :  O  you  dear  holy  sirs  and  fathers,  do  not,  for 
the  sake  of  the  bad,  thus  pitiably  kill  the  nobly  invented  art,  which  has 
been  brought  together  by  such  great  trouble  and  labor.  For  art  is 
great,  weighty,  and  good,  and  we  will  convert  it  with  great  honors  to 
the  praise  of  God.  For  in  the  same  way  as  they  applied  the  most  beau- 
tiful figure  of  a  man  to  their  idol  Apollo,  thus  we  will  take  the  same 
measurement  for  Christ,  the  Lord,  who  is  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the 
world.  And  as  they  have  used  Venus  as  the  most  beautiful  woman,  thus 
will  we  chastely  devote  the  same  graceful  figure  to  the  most  pure  Virgin, 
the  Mother  of  God.  And  of  Hercules  we  will  make  Samson ;  the  same 
will  we  do  with  all  the  others.  "  (Lange  und  Fuhse,  p.  316.)  Bearing 
in  mind  this  condition  of  things,  we  may  hope,  if  not  fully  to  understand, 
at  least  correctly  to  appreciate,  Diirer's  works.  For  it  is  precisely  the 
illogical,  and  therefore  enigmatical,  character  of  the  time  of  struggle  and 
transformation  in  which  he  lived  that  takes  form  in  them  and  makes 
them  representative.  To  hope  to  reduce  such  half-felt,  half-reasoned 
productions  to  the  clearness  of  a  problem  in  mathematics  is  in  vain,  and 
all  attempts  in  that  direction  have,  therefore,  been  fruitless. 

But  the  difficulties  which  the  age  in  general  interposes  are  measurably 
increased  in  Diirer's  case  by  his  nationality.  He  was  a  German,  or,  more 
broadly  speaking,  a  Northerner.  To  the  limitations  which  bound  all  the 
intellects  of  his  time  there  were  added  those  which  inhered  in  his  race. 
However  the  spirit  of  classical  antiquity  might  be  misunderstood  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Alps,  the  favored  son  of  the  South  had  at  least  retained 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  Dark  Ages  an  instinctive  feeling  of 
form  and  refinement  which  his  Northern  brother  had  never  possessed. 
One  needs  only  to  compare  a  naughty  story  told  by  Boccaccio  with  a 
similar  tale  told  by  Chaucer,  to  understand  this  difference  between  the 
North  and  the  South.  The  former  throws  around  it  all  the  allurements 
of  refined  outward  beauty,  and  thus  increases  the  force  of  the  poison  a 

iii 


INTRODUCTION. 


thousandfold ;  the  other  presents  his  subject  in  all  its  native  repulsive- 
ness,  and  thus  robs  it  of  much  of  its  baleful  influence.  And  the  same 
holds  good  of  pictorial  art.  The  Apollos  and  Venuses,  the  Theseuses 
and  Ariadnes  of  the  old  Florentine  engravers  grouped  together  under 
the  mythical  firm  name  of  Botticelli-Baldini,  however  far  they  may  be 
removed  from  the  creations  of  a  Phidias  or  even  of  his  late  Graeco- 
Roman  followers,  are  still,  as  compared  with  their  congeners  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  mountains,  triumphant  examples  of  grace  and 
beauty,  and  in  so  far  at  least  make  good  their  claim  to  be  direct  descen- 
dants of  antique  ancestors.  To  understand  this,  it  suffices  to  place  side 
by  side  with  the  Italian  engravings  alluded  to  such  a  plate  as  that  of 
"  The  Judgment  of  Paris,"  by  the  Master  of  the  Banderoles  (reproduced 
in  Lehrs'  "  Der  Meister  mit  den  Bandrollen,"  Dresden,  1886).  The 
Italian  works  named  belong  to  a  period  which,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to 
say,  preceded  the  time  of  Diirer's  activity  by  nearly  half  a  century.  But, 
all  advances  in  the  intermediate  years  conceded,  the  relative  positions  of 
the  North  and  the  South  nevertheless  remained  about  the  same.  Of  an 
age  and  a  country  which  did  not  hesitate,  in  sober  earnest  and  by  the 
mouth  of  one  of  its  most  learned  men,  to  proclaim  Maximilian's  "Arch 
of  Honor"  (woodcut,  B  138)  the  counterpart  of  an  antique  Roman 
triumphal  arch,  and  which  represented  Truth,  in  the  attempted  recon- 
struction of  the  "  Calumny  "  of  Apelles,  by  a  woman  richly  attired  in 
sixteenth-century  costume,  with  a  big  feather  hat,  and  carrying  a  flaming 
face, —  the  sun, — on  a  fruit-dish  (see  Diirer's  sketch  in  Thausing,  II, 
opp.  p.  162),  we  must  not  demand  that  it  should  distinguish  to  a  nicety 
between  the  Roman  Fortuna  and  the  Greek  Nemesis. 

To  these  racial  difficulties,  however,  there  must,  finally,  be  added,  in 
the  case  of  Diirer,  still  others  which  arise  out  of  the  individuality  of  the 
artist  himself.  With  Faust,  he  also  might  have  sighed  that  two  souls 
dwelt  within  his  breast:  one,  that  of  the  scientific  investigator,  the  man 
of  facts,  the  reasoner, —  the  other,  that  of  the  artist,  burning  with  a  con- 
stant yearning  for  the  visual  embodiment  of  his  longings,  which  in- 

iv 


INTRODUCTION. 


eluded  ever  evasive  visions  of  beauty.  It  was  the  conflict  between 
these  two  tendencies,  and  the  endeavor  to  reconcile  them,  which  still 
further  helped  to  mar  Diirer's  art.  Over  and  over  again  he  repeats, 
in  the  many  drafts  for  passages  in  his  theoretical  works  which  he  left 
behind,  that  the  artist  is  full  of  figures  inside,  which  he  would  not 
have  time  enough  to  draw  if  he  were  to  live  a  hundred  years  or 
more ;  and  quite  as  often  he  warns  the  young  artist  that  the  truth  is 
in  Nature.  "Therefore,"  he  says  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  226),  "look  at  it  dili- 
gently, be  guided  by  it,  and  do  not  depart  from  Nature  in  thy  pre- 
sumption, thinking  that  thou  thyself  mightest  find  something  better; 
for  thou  wilt  be  misled."  As  to  Beauty,  he  quite  agrees  with  Ra- 
phael: "But  what  Beauty  may  be,  that  I  know  not"  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  288). 
While,  however,  Raphael  was  content  to  follow  his  artistic  instinct,  Diirer 
thirsted  for  knowledge.  "  For  I  know,"  he  writes  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  239), — 
and  again  he  formulates  the  same  idea  over  and  over,  —  "that  the  desire 
of  mankind  may  be  so  satiated  of  earthly  things  by  their  surfeit  that  one 
becomes  weary  of  them;  only  excepted  to  know  much,  —  of  that  no  one 
wearies."  So  that,  while  he  is  convinced  that  we  may  not  know  what 
Beauty  is,  he  yet  believes  also  that  "Art  is  hidden  in  Nature;  whoso- 
ever can  tear  it  out  has  it"  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  226).  And  htuce  it  is  his 
never-tiring  endeavor  to  find  the  key  that  will  unlock  the  secret  of 
Beauty  in  the  human  form,  and  will  put  him  into  the  possession  of  the 
ideal  measurements,  according  to  which  may  be  constructed  a  perfect 
body.  It  is  the  old  vain  struggle  after  the  absolute,  leading  at  last  to 
disenchantment,  if  it  does  not  lead  to  intellectual  death, —  and  Diirer  was 
no  exception.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  just  engaged  in  seeing  his 
book  on  proportions  through  the  press  when  death  overtook  him,  he 
acknowledged  to  his  friend  Pirkheimer  that  only  late  towards  the  even- 
ing of  life  had  he  learned  to  esteem  at  its  true  value  the  simplicity  of 
nature,  and  there  is  no  denying  that  his  speculative  labors  exerted  a 
deadening  influence  on  his  art.  Moved  by  these  conflicting  impulses, 
we  see  him,  almost  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  career,  draw  ugly 

V 


INTRODUCTION. 


naturalistic  figures,  like  those  of  "  The  Four  Naked  Women"  (No.  14  of 
this  catalogue)  and  of  the  "  Nemesis "  (No.  33),  simultaneously  with 
others  of  quite  a  different  kind, —  the  Venus  in  "The  Dream"  (No.  15), 
for  instance,  and  the  figures  of  Adam  and  Eve  in  the  celebrated  plate  of 
the  year  1 504  (No.  34),  which  are  the  outcome  of  his  speculations  and 
his  striving  after  the  absolute.  A  similar  difference  we  may  note  in  his 
landscape  work,  although  in  this,  curiously  enough,  he  confines  his  real- 
ism to  the  studies  made  for  himself  Such  sketches,  for  example,  as 
those  in  the  Print  Cabinet,  at  Berlin  (Lippmann,  No.  14),  and  in  the 
British  Museum,  at  London  (Lippmann,  No.  219),  would  be  admitted  to 
any  exhibition  of  "  impressionist  "  art  of  to-day.  But  when  he  utilized 
his  sketches,  he  so  conventionalized  them  that,  on  the  unaided  testi- 
mony of  the  landscape  backgrounds  to  be  seen  in  the  works  destined  for 
the  public,  and  more  especially  in  his  engravings,  no  one  would  ever 
think  of  attributing  all  these  things  to  the  same  hand. 

Nevertheless,  however  difficult  it  may  be  to  understand,  not  only  the 
subject  matter,  but  even  the  outward  form  of  Diirer's  work,  it  would 
never  do,  in  a  fit  of  ultra-agnosticism,  to  content  ourselves  with  an  ad- 
mission of  ignorance,  and  to  give  up  all  endeavor  in  despair.  Although 
we  may  be  ready  to  acknowledge  that  there  are  certain  things  which  we 
cannot  know,  we  yet  feel  it  necessary  to  give  play  to  our  faculties,  and 
to  ascertain  what  we  may  know,  and  in  spite  of  the  rebuffs  suffered  by 
some,  there  will  always  be  others  ready  to  ask  whether  it  is  really  utterly 
impossible  to  lift  the  veil.  The  answer  is  apparently  simple.  We  may 
hope  to  comprehend  these  works,  so  far  as  their  matter  is  concerned,  by 
studying  them  within  their  time ;  that  is  to  say,  by  seeking  for  the  gen- 
eral causes  to  which  they  owe  their  existence.  It  is  the  "  kulturhisto- 
rische  Deutung," — the  explanation  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  historian 
of  civilization, — which  alone  promises  to  furnish  the  key  so  long  sought. 
That  all  other  ways  have  led  to  nothing  is  evident.  It  is  surprising  to 
see  the  stupid  ingenuity  or  the  ingenious  stupidity  which  has  been  dis- 
played in  attempts  to  explain  some  of  Diirer's  prints  merely  upon  the 

vi 


INTRODUCTION. 

outward  evidence  of  the  subjects  themselves.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  subjective  method, —  that  method  which  questions  the  works  as  to  the 
effect  produced  upon  the  individual  observer,  and  then,  from  this  effect, 
deduces  the  causes  which  must  have  moved  the  artist, —  has  proved 
equally  abortive.  Nor  yet  will  the  life  history  alone  of  the  artist  pro- 
vide a  sufficient  explanation,  although  it  claims  a  decided  share  in  the 
evidence  to  be  cpnsidered.  Into  what  strange  aberrations  such  a  one- 
sided method  of  proceeding  may  lead  is  plainly  shown  by  the  interpre- 
tations based  upon  the  unfortunate  relations  which  for  a  long  time  were 
supposed  to  have  existed  between  Diirer  and  his  wife,  and  upon  which 
recent  researches  have  thrown  at  least  a  milder  light,  even  if  they  should 
not  have  proved  them  to  be  wholly  without  foundation  (see  "  Diirer's 
Wife,"  among  the  "  Biographical  Illustrations,"  p.  Ivii,  etc.).  It  follows  from 
all  this  that  the  historical  method  remains  as  the  only  one  to  be  followed, 
however  much  such  an  essay  as  Allihn's  "  Diirer  Studien  "  may  tend  to 
make  us  shun  it,  in  view  of  the  paucity  of  results  attained  as  compared 
with  the  vast  amount  of  learning  expended.  It  does,  indeed,  seem  as  if 
the  past,  quite  as  much  as  the  future,  were  to  us  a  book  with  seven  seals. 
But  the  attempts  to  open  it  will  never  cease,  and  the  sooner  we  resign 
ourselves  to  the  conviction  that  intuition  or  the  divine  furor  of  the  poet 
will  not  help  us  to  break  the  seals,  but  that,  if  they  are  to  be  broken  at 
all,  nothing  but  downright  hard  work  will  do  it,  the  better  it  will  be  for 
us.  The  notes  given  in  the  catalogue  of  Diirer's  engravings  which  fol- 
lows are  principally  designed,  so  far  as  opportunities  and  the  limits  of  a 
catalogue  will  allow,  to  supply  some  hints  to  those  who  may  wish  to  see 
what  has  so  far  been  done  towards  the  interpretation  of  Diirer's  works 
by  the  writers  who  have  made  him  their  special  subject  of  study. 

Noting  all  these  limitations,  and  listening  to  all  these  "ifs"  and 
"buts,"  what,  it  may  be  asked,  is  there  left,  then,  to  explain  Diirer's 
fame  and  the  value  universally  set  upon  his  works  ?  There  is  probably 
no  other  artist  who  is  so  freely  criticized  as  Diirer  by  even  his  most 
ardent  admirers.    That  he  really  was  not  a  painter  in  the  modern  sense  of 

vii 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  word  is  all  but  universally  admitted, —  that  he  rarely,  if  ever,  attained 
Beauty ;  that  most  of  his  compositions  are  next  to  impossible  to  under- 
stand ;  and,  Vorse  than  all,  that  much  of  his  engraving,  which  is  that  part 
of  his  work  by  which  he  is  most  widely  known,  is  commonplace  and  has 
the  flavor  of  market  ware,  being  redeemed  only  by  careful  and  consci- 
entious workmanship, —  all  these  points  are  equally  conceded.  And  yet, 
ask  whomsoever  you  please  to  name  to  you  the  six  greatest  artists  of  the 
past,  and  Diirer  is  sure  to  be  amongst  them,  and  if  you  cut  the  number 
down  to  three,  the  answer  will  probably  be,  —  certainly  would  have 
been,  say  twenty-five  years  ago,  —  Raphael,  Diirer,  and  Rembrandt. 
Here  is  another  enigma,  seemingly  the  greatest  of  them  all.  To  the 
real  student  of  Diirer,  however, — to  him  who  knows  the  story  of  his  aspi- 
rations and  his  struggles, —  this  apparent  enigma  is  not  insolvable.  The 
story  of  Diirer's  life  is  a  sad  one,  and  it  expresses  itself  in  his  art.  The 
man  "  full  of  figures  inside  " ;  the  true  artist  to  whom  the  greatest  need 
of  life  was  to  give  form  to  that  which  was  in  him ;  the  spirit  that  yearned 
for  the  truth  and  longed  to  see  ideal  beauty, —  living  in  the  sixteenth 
century  in  a  burgher  community  like  Nuremberg,  at  the  commencement 
of  the  Reformation,  which  tended  rather  to  lead  men  away  from  than  to- 
wards art;  compelled  to  work  for  markets  and  fairs,  where  his  wares  were 
exposed  to  the  gaze  and  the  criticism  of  peasants  and  lansquenets,  and 
others  of  like  ilk,  together  with  "  Lebkuchen  "  and  nuts  and  even  less 
esthetic  things, — what  an  anomaly  !  And,  moreover,  hampered  in  him- 
self by  the  racial  shortcomings,  intensified  by  those  of  the  individual, 
discussed  above !  It  is  truly  an  elevating  spectacle  to  see  so  much 
achieved  under  such  terrible  limitations,  and  our  hearts  go  out  in  pity 
towards  the  man  who  bravely  carries  on  the  unequal  struggle,  so  that 
we  are  ready  to  sympathize  with  him,  even  in  his  defeats. 

If,  however,  Diirer  had  no  other  claim  on  the  public  in  general,  the 
argument  just  advanced  might  be  open  to  the  charge  of  begging  the 
question,  and  the  universal  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  would  still  be 
unexplained.    We  shall,  therefore,  have  to  continue  our  questioning,  and 

viii 


INTRODUCTION. 

the  answer  received  is  this :  It  is  a  patent  fact  that  most  of  Diirer's  de- 
signs,—  and  this  is  more  especially  true  of  his  engravings, —  exercise 
a  strong  fascination  over  the  beholder,  even  while  they  are  not  in  the 
least  understood, —  a  welcome  assurance  that  the  admiration  expressed 
by  those  who  have  not  taken  the  pains  to  study  them  is  not  all  mere 
lip  service.  It  is  precisely  their  enigmatical  character  which  proves  to 
be  their  strength,  and  this  enigmatical  character,  again,  is  due,  in  the 
sense  now  under  consideration,  to  the  curious  mixture  of  allegory  and 
realism,  of  vague  idea  and  definite  form,  which  characterizes  them  and 
invests  them  with  the  charm  of  a  vivid  dream.  There  is  such  intense 
outward  life  in  them  that  it  seems  almost  impossible  not  to  be  able  to 
comprehend  them;  and  yet  their  meaning  is  so  hidden  to  us,  or  so  in- 
tangible in  itself,  that  it  evades  us  at  the  very  moment  when  we  hope  to 
grasp  it.  It  is  the  lack  of  this  contrast  between  intangible  essence  and 
tangible  form  that  makes  all  later  allegory  so  distasteful.  In  it,  wrongly 
so-called  idealized  forms, —  that  is  to  say,  forms  out  of  which  all  individ- 
uality has  been  generalized, — are  united  with  unpictorial  ideas,  and  the 
result  is  an  unutterable  insipidity  from  which  Diirer's  realism  happily 
saves  him.  We  must  not  forget,  however,  that  this  fascinating  incon- 
gruity is  not  of  Diirer's  intending,  and  we  must  be  careful,  therefore,  not 
to  impute  wrong  motives  to  him.  But  in  this  unconsciousness,  again, 
lies  part  of  the  fascination  of  his  work, — a  fascination  which  it  shares 
with  much  of  the  work  of  the  primitive  Italians, — it  is  naive.  There  is 
incongruity,  also,  in  much  of  the  most  modern  art,  but  it  is  conscious, —  it 
is  not  naive, — wherefore  it  betrays  itself  as  spurious,  and  is  condemned. 


II.  The  Chronology  of  Durer's  Engravings. 

Our  human  sympathies,  if  nothing  else,  would  suffice  to  explain  why 
we  are  not  satisfied  with  a  general  knowledge  of  the  works  of  an  artist 
whom  we  admire,  but  desire  also  to  make  his  personal  acquaintance,  and 
2  ix 


INTRODUCTION. 


to  follow  him  in  his  development.  To  be  able  to  do  this,  it  is  necessary 
to  arrange  the  works  of  the  artist  in  question  in  chronological  sequence. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  this,  there  would  have  been  no  occasion  whatever 
for  the  present  attempt  to  make  a  new  catalogue  of  Diirer's  engravings. 
It  would  have  sufficed  to  reprint  Bartsch's  catalogue,  which  has  so  well 
stood  the  test  of  time  that,  out  of  the  lo8  prints  listed  by  him,  102 
(Nos.  1-102  of  this  catalogue)  are  still  by  almost  common  consent  ac- 
cepted as  being  the  work  of  Diirer,  while  those  which  later  writers  have 
endeavored  to  add  (see  Nos.  109-12  of  this  catalogue)  have  been  as 
unanimously  rejected.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  this  time-honored 
authority  has  not  been  departed  from  because  of  disrespect.  Bartsch 
has  lately  been  attacked  most  unjustly.  Sir  Francis  Seymour  Haden 
has  attributed  a  "  barbarous  and  base  origin "  to  what  he  calls  "  the 
Bartschian  classification"  (see  "The  Etched  Work  of  Rembrandt." 
London:  Macmillan  &  Co.,  1895,  p.  3),  and  although  he  refers  more 
especially  to  Bartsch's  Rembrandt  catalogue,  it  is  manifest  that  this  harsh 
criticism  affects  all  of  Bartsch's  lists.  The  accusation  rests  on  a  misun- 
derstanding. Bartsch's  catalogues  are  finding  lists,  and  as  such  invalu- 
able, and  quite  unreplaceable  by  chronological  catalogues.  The  world, 
or  at  least  that  comparatively  small  part  of  it  which  cares  for  engrav- 
ing and  its  history,  owes  a  heavy  debt  of  gratitude  to  Bartsch  for  the 
masterly  manner  in  which  he  brought  order  out  of  chaos  and  made  of 
a  hideous  mass  of  disjointed  fragments  an  organized  body.  He  erred, 
to  be  sure,  and,  being  in  most  cases  a  pioneer,  he  did  not  know  every- 
thing; but  it  would  be  the  height  of  absurdity  to  bring  criminal  charges 
against  him  for  these  reasons,  however  necessary  it  may  be  to  criticize 
and  to  correct  him.  Without  such  finding  lists  as  Bartsch's  no  public 
print  cabinet,  no  private  collector,  no  dealer  in  prints  could  get  along. 
Bartsch,  therefore,  upon  whose  shoulders  stand  all  who  work  in  the  same 
field,  deserves  honor  rather  than  obloquy. 

Finding  lists,  moreover,  may  be  definite  and  universally  accepted, 
which  chronological  lists,  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  never  can  be, 

X 


INTRODUCTION. 


since  they  will  have  to  be  remodeled  continually  with  the  growth  of 
knowledge,  and  must  always  be  influenced  by  subjective  considerations. 
In  the  arrangement  of  the  present  catalogue  and  exhibition,  either  one  of 
at  least  three  chronological  lists  might  have  been  followed : — Von  Ret- 
berg's,  published  at  Munich  in  the  year  1871 ;  the  catalogue  of  the  Diirer 
Exhibition  held  at  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  in  Boston,  in  the  year  1888 
(compiled  by  the  author  of  the  present  catalogue),  and  the  Rev.  Charles 
H.  Middleton -Wake's  list,  according  to  which  the  Diirers  in  the  Fitz- 
william  Museum,  at  Cambridge  (England),  are  arranged.  It  was  found 
advisable,  however,  to  disregard  all  of  these  catalogues,  and  even  the  se- 
quence now  adopted  was  decided  upon  only  after  still  another  had  been 
laid  out  and  rejected.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  author  has  been 
quite  as  critical  with  himself  as  with  others,  and  he  does  not  hesitate  to 
say  that,  after  another  ten  years  of  occupation  with  Durer's  engravings, 
it  is  more  than  likely  that  he  would  again  discard  his  present  classifi- 
cation. Concerning  Von  Retberg's  list,  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  inad- 
missible, because  he  occasionally  allows  his  judgment  to  be  misled  by 
mere  outward  considerations  which  carry  no  weight  whatever.  Mr.  Mid- 
dleton's  list,  aside  from  differences  of  opinion  arising  in  the  case  of  indi- 
vidual prints,  seems  to  suffer  from  too  great  positiveness.  No  artist's 
work  can  be  classed  according  to  ironclad  rules  which  subject  him  to  an 
inviolable  law  of  progress,  and  deprive  him  of  the  possibility  of  going 
back  to  earlier  methods,  or  taking  up  again  a  tentative  effort  which  he 
may  have  abandoned  for  the  time  being.  The  present  writer  confesses 
that  he  despairs  of  ever  being  able  to  arrive  at  the  knowledge  which 
would  make  it  possible  for  him  to  tell  whether  Durer's  "St.  Ann  and  the 
Virgin"  (No.  25  of  this  catalogue)  was  executed  in  "  1498  or  early  in 
1499,"  and  he  confesses  still  further,  that  he  holds  such  knowledge  un- 
necessary. If  we  can  succeed  in  arranging  an  artist's  work  into  fairly 
correct  groups,  following  one  another  in  tolerably  reliable  chronological 
order,  we  shall  have  attained  all  that  is  needed.  It  would  be  well  to 
bear  in  mind  in  such  cases  the  modest  avowal  made  by  Dr.  Lippmann  in 

xi 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  preface  to  the  second  volume  of  the  Diirer  drawings  edited  by  him. 
Not  only  does  he  point  out  the  frequent  "  shifting  of  the  art-historical 
point  of  view  "  in  such  matters,  but  he  frankly  confesses  that  his  own 
views  have  already  changed  in  regard  to  some  of  the  drawings  admitted 
to  the  first  volume.  The  cautiousness  here  applied  to  drawings  is  quite 
as  applicable  to  prints  or  to  anything  else. 

In  the  case  of  Diirer,  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  seem,  at  first 
sight,  to  be  of  the  slightest,  for  out  of  the  102  plates  universally  accepted 
as  his  only  37  are  undated,  and  out  of  these  3  can  be  dated  approxi- 
mately and  tolerably  closely,  on  the  strength  of  external  evidence. 
In  the  arrangement  here  adopted  13  undated  plates  precede  "The  Four 
Naked  Women  "  (No.  14),  with  the  date  of  1497,  the  earliest  date  to  be 
found  on  Diirer's  plates.  Then  follow  14  more  of  the  undated  plates, 
until  we  come  to  the  year  1503,  which  appears  on  "The  Virgin  Nursing 
the  Child"  (No.  29)  and  the  "  Coat-of-Arms  with  the  Skull"  (No.  30). 
Between  the  years  1 504  and  1508,  7  of  the  undated  plates  have  been 
intercalated,  leaving  only  3  to  dispose  of,  which,  as  above  remarked,  are 
approximately  datable  on  external  evidence. 

The  plates  really  to  be  dealt  with,  therefore,  are  34  in  number,  and 
for  the  ordering  of  the  earliest  of  these  (excluding  "The  Ravisher,"  No. 
I,  which  has  no  mark  of  any  kind),  the  monogram  upon  them  can  be 
relied  on  to  a  certain  extent.  Diirer  not  only  took  evident  pride  in  his 
monogram,  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  also  that  it  was,  not  figura- 
tively, but  absolutely  speaking,  his  trademark.  When,  in  the  year  15  12, 
he  complained  to  the  city  council  of  Nuremberg  that  copies  of  his  en- 
gravings were  offered  for  sale,  the  copyists  were  ordered  to  take  his 
mark  off  their  copies,  on  pain  of  confiscation  !  No  copyright  law  existed 
in  those  times,  except  in  the  way  of  obtaining  a  "privilege,"  which  Diirer 
did,  for  instance,  for  his  "  Life  of  the  Virgin  "  and  "  Small  Passion  "  on 
wood.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  he  launched  out  for  himself,  he  began  to 
develop  his  monogram,  which  quickly  reached  its  well-known  form. 
(See  Thausing,  I,  p.  344,  2d  ed.) 

xii 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  earliest  marks  found  on  the  drawings  of  the  young  Diirer  are  not 
really  monograms.  They  consist  of  the  initials  of  his  name  placed  along- 
side of  one  another,  the  very  earliest  being  that  on  the  "  Madonna  and 
Angels"  (Lippmann,  No.  i),  of  the  year  1485  : 

X  4 

a  capital  A,  pointed  at  the  top,  with  a  small  d  beside  it.  Two  signa- 
tures of  the  year  1489,  on  the  other  hand,  "The  Cavalcade"  (Lipp- 
mann, No.  100)  and  "The  Three  Lansquenets"  (Lippmann,  No.  2), 
offer  two  capitals  placed  alongside  of  one  another,  and  on  the  second- 
named  drawing  the  A  is  not  even  pointed,  but  rather  spreading  at  the 
top.  It  is  barely  possible  that  these  initials  are  later  additions  by  Diirer 
himself,  as  we  know  of  other  drawings  that  he  placed  his  monogram 
upon  them  years  after  they  had  been  done.  The  "  Orpheus  "  drawing 
(Lippmann,  No.  159;  see  Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  VI),  of  the 
year  1494,  again  has  the  small  d: 

and  the  same  combination  is  seen  on  the  "  Bacchanal "  and  "  The  Battle 
of  the  Tritons,"  after  Mantegna  (in  the  Albertina),  both  also  of  1494, 
while  a  similar,  but  rather  curious  signature : 

1  p  J 

is  found  on  a  drawing  belonging  to  the  year  following,  a  child,  copied 
from  Lorenzo  di  Credi  (reproduced  by  Ephrussi,  opp.  p.  36).  On  "  The 
Women's  Bath"  (Lippmann,  No.  loi),  dated  1496,  the  two  capitals 
again  appear,  the  A,  however,  quite  pointed;  and  in  the  year  1497, 

xiii 


INTRODUCTION. 


finally,  on  the  "  Angel  playing  the  Lute  "  (Lippmann,  No.  73),  we  meet 
for  the  first  time  on  a  drawing  the  monogram  as  subsequently  adhered  to : 

that  is  to  say,  the  D  inclosed  in  the  A,  and  this  latter  spreading  at  the 
top.  To  the  same  year  belongs  the  first  dated  engraved  plate,  which 
also  has  a  similar  monogram. 

Turning,  now,  to  the  engravings,  we  may  construct  from  them  an 
evolutionary  series,  as  follows  : 

A  7^      K  "M^ 

12345  6  7 

No.  I  of  this  series  is  taken  from  "The  Holy  Family  with  the  Dragon- 
fly "  (No.  2  of  this  catalogue) ;  No.  2  from  "  The  Five  Footsoldiers  and 
a  Mounted  Turk"  (No.  3) ;  No.  3  from  "The  Offer  of  Love  "  (No.  4);  No. 
4  from  "The  Prodigal  "  (No.  5) ;  and  No.  5  from  "St.  Jerome  in  Pen- 
ance "  (No.  6).  Omitting  several  intermediate  stages,  which  show  the 
gradual  spreading  of  the  A,  we  arrive  at  the  first  dated  plate,  "  The 
Four  Naked  Women  "  (No.  14),  of  the  year  1497,  from  which  Fig.  6  is 
taken.  The  large  monogram.  No.  7,  finally,  is  copied  from  one  of  the 
woodcuts  of  the  "  Apocalypse,"  which  we  know  to  have  been  published 
in  the  year  1498.  If  we  compare  with  Nos.  6  and  7  the  monogram.  Fig. 
8,  from  the  "Erasmus,"  dated  1526  (No.  102  of  this  catalogue),  which  is 


8 

xiv 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  last  engraved  by  Diirer,  we  recognize  at  once  with  what  fideUty  he 
adhered  throughout  his  life  to  the  form  adopted  in  early  manhood.  (All 
but  the  last  of  the  monograms  here  given  were  photo-engraved  from 
unsatisfactory  tracings, —  the  one  of  1495  from  the  reduction  in  Ephrussi. 
They  will  do,  however,  to  show  the  form  of  the  letters,  which  is  all  that 
is  needed.) 

It  is  apparent  from  the  initials  and  monograms  which  we  have  been 
able  to  examine,  that,  according  to  the  evidence  furnished  by  them, 
Diirer's  earliest  mark  consists  of  a  very  pointed  A  with  a  small  d  along- 
side of  it,  and  that  the  monogram,  in  its  final  form,  does  not  appear, 
in  connection  with  a  date,  upon  either  drawing  or  engraving,  before  the 
year  1497.  After  that  date  it  is  steadily  adhered  to,  not,  however,  to 
the  absolute  exclusion  of  slight  variations,  which  occasionally  show  a 
return  to  a  more  pointed  form  of  the  A,  as,  for  instance,  on  the  "  Apollo 
and  Diana  "  (No.  36  of  this  catalogue).  As  none  of  the  engravings  are 
marked  with  the  initials, —  the  A  and  d  or  D  placed  alongside  of  one 
another, —  the  conclusion  would  seem  to  be  justified  that  none  of  them 
(with  the  exception  of  "  The  Ravisher,"  No.  i,  which  has  neither  initials 
nor  monogram)  can  be  earlier  than  1495  or  1496,  and  that  "  The  Holy 
Family  with  the  Dragon-fly"  (No.  2),  which  still  shows  the  small  d, 
although  enclosed  within  the  A,  cannot  be  later.  And  this  date  corre- 
sponds approximately  to  the  time  when  Diirer  settled  down  permanently 
in  Nuremberg,  and  established  a  household,  with  probably  a  "  shop,"  of 
his  own.  "And  as  I  went  away  in  the  1490  year  after  Easter,"  he  writes 
in  his  family  chronicle  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  8),  "  thereupon  I  came  back  when 
they  counted  1494  after  Pentecost.  And  when  I  had  come  home  again 
Hans  Frey  bargained  with  my  father,  and  gave  me  his  daughter,  named 
Jungfrau  Agnes,  and  gave  me  with  her  200  fl.  and  celebrated  the  wed- 
ding, that  was  on  Monday  before  St.  Margaret's  day  [July  7]  in  the 
1494  year." 

It  may  be  objected,  of  course,  and  with  perfect  truth,  that  the  evidence 
offered  by  monograms  is  of  purely  external  character,  and  hence,  that 

XV 


INTRODUCTION. 


too  much  weight  must  not  be  attached  to  it.  Nor  has  it  been  admitted 
here  to  any  great  extent,  except  for  the  prints  of  the  first  period,  the 
workmanship  of  which  undoubtedly  points  to  the  same  time.  As  to 
Diirer's  workmanship  in  general,  an  examination  of  his  prints  will  show 
that,  with  increasing  command  over  the  burin,  he  not  only  strove  for 
greater  regularity  of  line,  but  that  he  developed  also  the  coloristic  possi- 
bilities of  engraving ;  that  is  to  say,  he  endeavored,  by  variety  of  texture, 
which  results  from  difference  in  treatment,  direction,  and  combination  of 
lines  and  dots,  to  suggest  a  feeling  of  color.  He  was  in  this  a  forerunner 
of  the  engravers  of  the  Rubens  school,  who  are  usually  credited  with 
being  the  first  colorists  with  the  burin.  As  these  efforts,  however,  are 
more  especially  noticeable  in  the  dated  engravings,  and  will  be  pointed 
out  in  the  discussion  of  the  individual  plates,  they  need  not  here  be  dwelt 
upon.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  name  as  especially  characteristic  examples, 
which  may  help  to  make  the  matter  clearer  to  the  student  by  way  of 
contrast,  "The  Virgin  and  Child  with  the  Monkey"  (No.  13  of  this  cata- 
logue) and  "The  Virgin  sitting  by  a  Wall"  (No.  75), —  the  former  a  fine 
specimen  of  pure  black-and-white  work,  the  latter  the  most  developed 
example  of  coloristic  engraving  in  Diirer's  mivre.  It  may  be  stated, 
also,  that  towards  the  close  of  his  life  he  returned  again  to  simpler 
methods. 

But  in  spite  of  all  the  aids  invoked,  the  sequence  of  the  undated  plates 
will  always  remain  a  subject  for  discussion.  Plates  1-6,  as  here  arranged, 
offer  no  difficulty,  so  far  as  workmanship  is  concerned.  No.  2,  "  The 
Holy  Family  with  the  Dragon-fly,"  stands  apart  as  regards  the  design, 
in  consequence,  no  doubt,  of  the  influence  of  Schongauer  which  is  appar- 
ent in  it,  although  others,  as,  for  instance,  Springer,  detect  Italian  influ- 
ences in  it.  With  Nos.  7-10  it  is  different.  The  set  character  of  the 
lining  of  the  flesh  in  No.  7,  "The  Penance  of  St.  John  Chrysostom," 
would  seem  to  point  to  a  later  time,  but  the  general  conception  is 
rather  archaic,  and  the  shape  of  the  monogram  supports  this  conclu- 
sion.   The  beautiful  little  Madonna,  No.  8,  stands  quite  apart  in  Diirer's 

xvi 


INTRODUCTION. 


work,  and  the  contrast  between  it  and  No.  9,  "  The  Little  Fortune," 
is  positively  jarring,  while  in  No.  10,  "The  Little  Courier,"  there  is 
an  apparently  irreconcilable  contradiction  between  the  skilled  although 
simple  workmanship  and  the  very  archaic  conception.  In  assigning 
positions  to  these  plates,  some  influence  has  been  allowed  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  monogram.  The  most  serious  difficulty,  however,  is  caused 
by  the  undoubtedly  most  beautiful  of  Diirer's  early  plates,  and,  it  might 
perhaps  be  truthfully  said,  the  most  satisfactory  of  all  his  Madonnas, 
"The  Virgin  and  Child  with  the  Monkey,"  No.  13.  It  is  quite  impos- 
sible to  find  a  fitting  place  for  it,  and  the  one  finally  chosen,  on  the 
evidence  of  the  workmanship  and  the  character  of  the  monogram,  brings 
it  into  most  uncongenial  company.  It  would  indeed  harmonize  better 
with  the  surroundings  if  it  were  placed  immediately  after  No.  6,  "  St. 
Jerome  in  Penance,"  but  that  is  inadmissible.  The  anomalous  character 
of  this  plate  has  also  been  recognized  by  other  writers.  Springer  ("  Zeit- 
schrift  fiir  bildende  Kunst,"  1877,  p.  7)  says  of  it  that  it  completely 
"  drops  out  of  the  line  "  of  Diirer's  other  Madonnas.  It  is  this  difficulty 
which  leads  him  to  conjecture  that  the  composition  is  not  by  Diirer, 
but  was  copied  by  him  from  some  older  original.  (See  below:  IV. 
Was  Diirer  a  Copyist  ?) 

It  may  appear  odd,  also,  to  see  the  larger  plates,  Nos.  14-17,  all  deal- 
ing with  the  nude  and  evidently  influenced  by  Italy  or  the  antique, 
grouped  together,  to  be  followed  immediately  by  quite  a  series  of  small 
plates,  all  dealing  either  with  religious  subjects  or  with  events  of 
Diirer's  own  time.  This  sudden  break  is,  however,  quite  natural.  We 
know  that  Diirer  was  deeply  interested,  even  as  a  very  young  man, 
not  only  in  the  problem  of  the  human  figure,  but  also  in  antiquity ; 
and  we  know,  furthermore,  that  he  was  one  of  those  dreamy  yet  ardent 
natures  which  are  capable  of  quite  losing  themselves  in  a  favorite 
pursuit,  to  the  forgetting  of  everything  else  about  them.  We  can 
imagine,  therefore,  how  he  gave  himself  up  to  what  his  wife  merely 
considered  his  hobby,  and  how  Frau  Agnes,  seeing  her  stores  diminish 
3  xvii 


INTRODUCTION. 


and  no  profit  in  view,  grew  more  and  more  restless,  until  finally  she  said 
to  the  dreamer, —  with  a  bitter  ring  in  her  speech,  according  to  the 
gospel  of  Pirkheimer ;  with  the  voice  of  an  angel,  according  to  that  of 
Thausing, — "  Have  n't  you  wasted  enough  time  and  copper  and  money 
on  your  naked  women  and  your  old  heathen  goddesses  ?  No  one  will 
buy  them  !  And  now  the  fair  is  almost  upon  us,  and  if  I  am  to  keep  a 
booth  there,  or  if  you  want  me  to  go  to  Frankfort  the  coming  Easter, 
what  am  I  to  take  with  me  ?  Why  don't  you  engrave  something  for 
good  Christian  folk, —  some  Madonnas  and  Saints,  so  that  I  may  have 
something  new  to  show, —  and  something  that  people  want?  You  know 
what  the  pedlar  said  who  was  here  the  other  day.  He  went  away  with- 
out buying  anything, — and  what  a  good  customer  he  used  to  be  !  And 
besides  the  saints,  there  are  the  Turks  and  the  peasants,  about  whom 
everybody  is  talking  nowadays.  They  would  sell,  too  ! "  So  what 
could  poor  Albert  do, —  for  he  knew  his  Hausfrau  was  right, —  but  pack 
away  his  naked  women  and  his  heathen  gods  and  goddesses,  and  go  at 
the  saints  and  the  peasants  and  the  Turks, — even  if  he  did  it  with  a 
sigh  ?  And  thus  we  have  an  at  least  plausible  explanation  for  the  sud- 
den change  which  evidently  came  over  the  spirit  of  Diirer's  dreams  at 
this  time. 

The  difficulties  here  discussed  are  only  a  few  of  the  leading  ones. 
Others  have  been  pointed  out  in  the  catalogue  itself  That  the  chrono- 
logical arrangement  has  not  been  absolutely  adhered  to  for  the  dated 
plates, —  the  two  series,  "The  Passion  on  Copper"  and  "The  Apostles," 
having  been  kept  together, —  will  need  no  apology. 

It  goes  without  saying,  also,  that  a  chronological  arrangement  is  in- 
dispensable if  the  works  of  an  artist  are  to  be  studied  with  reference  to 
the  progress  of  his  life  in  general,  outward  as  well  as  inner.  Diirer's 
printed  works  are,  indeed,  far  from  having  the  autobiographical  char- 
acter of  those  of  Rembrandt,  his  own  personality  being  suppressed  in 
them  altogether,  but  they  nevertheless  conspicuously  mark  the  events 
of  his  life,  which  was  more  varied  than  Rembrandt's.    In  this  respect, 

xviii 


INTRODUCTION. 


however,  the  present  exhibition  is  deficient,  as  it  comprises  only  Diirer's 
work  on  metal,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  woodcuts,  of  which  there  are 
about  twice  as  many.  When  both  are  examined  together,  it  is  easily 
recognized  how  curiously  two  lines  of  thought  struggle  for  the  mastery 
over  the  artist  immediately  after  his  return  from  his  early  travels, —  the 
one  showing  him  to  us  apparently  bent  entirely  upon  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge,  and  finding  expression  in  such  studies  of  the  nude  as  the 
"Four  Naked  Women"  (No.  14)  and  "The  Dream"  (No.  15),  with  the 
"  Adam  and  Eve  "  (No.  34)  as  its  crowning  triumph,  all  engraved  by 
himself  on  copper ;  the  other,  and  finally,  in  the  course  of  his  life,  the 
conquering  one,  leading  him  on  to  the  formulation  of  his  religious  con- 
victions, through  the  medium  of  the  woodcut  as  the  more  popular 
method  of  communication  with  the  mass  of  his  countrymen,  in  such 
series  as  the  "  Apocalypse,"  published  in  the  year  1498, —  contempo- 
raneously, that  is  to  say,  with  the  studies  just  alluded  to.  We  would 
find,  furthermore,  that  the  enigmatical  compositions  like  the  "  Hercules  " 
(No.  17  of  this  catalogue)  are  almost  wholly  confined  to  the  work  on 
metal  done  in  his  earlier  years,  while  among  the  woodcuts  there  is  really 
only  one  of  a  similar  character,  hkewise  called  "Hercules"  (B  127),  and 
also  a  work  of  earlier  days.  We  would  be  able,  again,  to  trace  his  early 
connection  with  the  humanists;  we  would  note  the  extended  activity 
which  he  displayed  when  at  the  height  of  his  powers,  in  the  service  of 
the  Emperor  Maximilian,  and  the  position  which  he  made  for  himself 
among  the  scientific  men  of  his  time;  we  would  recognize, —  as,  indeed, 
we  may  do  also  in  this  exhibition, —  the  portraits  of  the  celebrated 
friends  and  patrons  who  remained  true  to  him  until  the  last ;  and  we 
would  finally  see  him,  at  the  close  of  his  life,  giving  to  the  world  the 
result  of  those  theoretical  studies  which,  to  his  help  or  to  his  hindrance, 
he  had  followed  so  assiduously  throughout  his  career.  Still  more  in- 
teresting, however,  than  these  reflections  of  outward  events, —  and  to  be 
easily  detected  even  in  this  partial  collection  of  his  works, —  are  the 
signs  of  his  inner  development,  which,  in  spite  of  the  limitations  of  his 

xix 


INTRODUCTION. 


nature  and  his  environments,  was  steadily  from  the  fantastic  to  the 
humane,  from  bizarre  variety  to  greater  simpHcity,  from  whimsical  con- 
ceits and  misunderstood  antique  subjects  to  portraits  and  the  expression 
of  his  own  feelings  and  convictions.  On  the  other  hand,  it  needs  no 
chronological  arrangement  to  convince  us,  upon  the  testimony  of  his 
works,  of  the  purity  of  his  character,  which  ennobled  also  his  art. 
Diirer  was  vain, —  there  is  no  gainsaying  that, — but  his  vanity  was  of  a 
gentle,  so  to  speak,  modest  kind,  which  differed  greatly  from  the  vanity, 
the  vice  of  the  time,  to  which  his  great  and  learned  friends  fell  a  prey, 
at  the  head  of  them  all  the  Emperor  Maximilian,  the  last  of  the  knights. 
But  of  the  coarseness  of  his  age  there  is  not  a  trace  in  all  his  authenti- 
cated works,  which  is  all  the  more  remarkable  as  his  activity  as  an  en- 
graver and  publisher  might  easily  have  tempted  him  to  pander  to  the 
tastes  of  the  multitude,  upon  which  he  was  dependent. 


Ill,  The  Influence  of  the  Antique  and  of  Italian  Art 

ON  Durer. 

An  interesting  factor  in  Diirer's  artist  life, —  all  the  more  interesting, 
perhaps,  because  enveloped  in  uncertainty,  and  therefore  only  vaguely 
traceable, —  is  the  influence  exercised  on  him  by  Italian  art,  and,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  by  the  antique. 

That  Diirer  visited  Italy  twice  is  now  accepted  as  a  fact  by  most  of 
the  writers  who  have  occupied  themselves  with  him, —  the  first  time, 
while  he  was  wandering  about  the  world  as  an  obscure  journeyman 
painter,  during  the  years  1490-94;  the  second  time  in  1506-07,  when 
his  work  had  already  begun  to  spread  his  fame  abroad.  Of  the  first 
journey  we  have  no  definite  knowledge, —  only  faint  echoes  of  it  here 
and  there  in  his  work  and  a  vague  allusion  in  one  of  his  letters.  Con- 
cerning his  second  journey  we  are  fully  informed,  through  the  medium 
of  the  letters  written  by  him  from  Venice  to  his  friend  Pirkheimer. 
But  he  did  not  come  into  contact  with  Italy  through  these  journeys 

XX 


INTRODUCTION. 


only.  An  undoubtedly  great  influence  was  exercised  upon  him,  or  at 
least  a  directing  impulse  given  to  his  studies,  by  Jacopo  de'  Barbari, 
or  Jacob  Walch  e.,  "  Der  Welsche,"  or  "  The  Italian"),  as  he  was  called 
in  Germany,  himself  a  somewhat  mystical  personage,  in  spite  of  the 
critical  labors  expended  upon  him,  more  especially  by  Ephrussi.  That 
Jacopo  visited  Germany  is  a  fact.  But  exactly  when  we  do  not  know, 
and  it  is  equally  unknown  whether  Diirer  made  his  acquaintance  in  Nu- 
remberg, either  before  or  after  his  first  Italian  journey,  or  whether  he 
met  him  in  Italy.  Jacopo  de'  Barbari  seems  to  have  been  the  first  to 
direct  the  young  Diirer's  attention  towards  the  study  of  the  proportions 
of  the  human  body,  but  having  excited  his  thirst  for  knowledge,  he 
refused  to  allay  it,  either  from  ill  will  or  from  incompetency.  Possibly 
he  was  one  of  those  men  of  whom  Diirer  in  later  years  warned  young 
artists  to  beware, —  men  who  talk  about  things  they  cannot  do.  It  is 
certain  that  Jacopo's  art,  as  we  know  it  from  his  engravings,  betrays  a 
weakly  conventional  rather  than  a  scientific  draftsman.  Diirer,  speak- 
ing of  his  early  desire  to  know  what  others  had  written  on  the  subject  of 
proportion,  makes  mention  of  him  as  follows  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  340):  "How- 
ever, as  I  find  no  one  who  has  described  anything,  except  one  man,  was 
named  Jacobus,  was  a  good,  sweet  painter,  born  in  Venice,  he  showed 
me  man  and  woman,  which  he  had  made  from  measurements,  and 
although  I  took  to  mind  the  idea,  how  such  things  might  be  brought 
about,  yet  I  could  not  obtain  from  him  his  reason,  how  he  used  his  art, 
and  although  I  was  at  that  time  still  young,  nevertheless  I  took  the  thing 
to  heart,  took  up  Vitruvius,  he  writes  a  little  of  the  members  of  a  man. 
Thus  from  the  two  named  above,  I  searched  for  it  out  of  my  own  reso- 
lution." And  again  he  writes  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  343):  "  For  this  before  men- 
tioned Jacobus  would  not  clearly  show  me  his  reason,  that  I  well  per- 
ceived in  him.  But  I  took  the  thing  up  for  myself  and  read  Vitruvius, 
he  describes  a  little  of  the  members  of  a  man."  And  in  another  place 
(L.  u.  F.,  p.  342)  he  says  that  he  would  have  given  a  new  kingdom  for 
Jacob's  knowledge.    This  was  written  in  1523,  but  although  Diifer  here 

xxi 


INTRODUCTION. 


calls  Jacopo  a  "  good  sweet  painter,"  recalling  the  impressions  he  had 
received  from  him  in  his  youth,  there  was  a  time  when  he  esteemed  him 
differently.  Writing  to  Pirkheimer  from  Venice  in  1506,  he  says:  "I 
let  you  know  also,  that  here  there  are  much  better  painters  than  Master 
Jacob  is  out  there.  But  Anthony  Kolb  [for  whom  Jacopo  had  designed 
the  large  view  of  Venice  published  in  1500,  a  really  very  clever  work] 
swears  an  oath,  there  lived  no  better  painter  on  earth  than  Jacob.  The 
others  scoff  at  him,  say  :  '  If  he  were  good  he  would  stay  here.'  "  (L.  u. 
F.,  p.  22.)  Nevertheless,  he  thought  better  of  him  again  in  1521.  In 
the  diary  of  his  journey  to  the  Netherlands  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  170),  Diirer 
notes  that  in  the  possession  of  the  Lady  Margaret,  the  governess  of  the 
Netherlands,  in  whose  service  Jacopo  de'  Barbari  had  died,  he  saw  a 
number  of  good  things,  some  of  them  by  Jacob  Walch.  "  I  begged  my 
lady  to  give  me  Master  Jacob's  little  book  [probably  a  sketch-book],  but 
she  said  she  had  promised  it  to  her  painter." 

These  details  are  given  here  because  the  influence  of  Jacopo  de' 
Barbari  is  repeatedly  alluded  to  in  the  notes  of  the  catalogue,  and 
reproductions  of  a  number  of  his  engravings  will  be  found  among  the 
Supplementary  Illustrations. 

Jacopo  de'  Barbari,  however,  was  not  the  only  Italian  artist  who  in- 
fluenced the  young  Diirer,  although  with  no  other  does  he  seem  to  have 
come  into  such  close  contact.  That  he  appreciated  and  studied  Man- 
tegna  is  apparent  from  the  pen  copies  in  the  Albertina,  Vienna,  which 
he  made  from  some  of  his  engravings.  (See  also  under  No.  34  of  the 
catalogue.)  It  is  very  curious  to  note  how  in  these  copies  he  trans- 
lated the  straight-line  shading  system  of  the  ItaHan  into  the  curved  line 
more  familiar  to  himself.  An  interesting  series  of  copies  by  Diirer,  in 
the  British  Museum,  London,  from  some  of  the  so-called  "  Tarocchi," 
has  been  reproduced  by  Lippmann  (Nos.  211-18). 

Concerning  the  influence  of  the  antique,  and  its  meaning  not  only  for 
Diirer,  but  for  the  Northern  nations  in  general,  see  especially  the  remarks 
under  No.  34,  "  Adam  and  Eve." 

xxii 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  may  seem  cause  for  wonder  that  Diirer,  with  the  ardent  admiration 
which  he  evidently  had  for  Italy  and  the  antique,  and  with  his  longing 
for  formal  Beauty,  did  not  succumb  to  these  influences,  like  the  later 
artists  of  Germany  and  of  the  Netherlands.  But  he  was  too  strong  a 
man  for  that,  he  had  too  much  of  a  personality  of  his  own,  and  so,  in- 
stead of  a  weakly  imitator,  he  became  a  great  artist,  in  spite  of  all  his 
limitations. 

IV.  Was  Durer  a  Copyist? 

The  story  of  Diirer's  life  has  unfortunately  been  burdened  with  a 
number  of  questions,  which  are  either  of  themselves  of  little  or  no  impor- 
tance, or  which  have  been  or  can  be  definitely  answered  in  the  negative, 
but  which,  once  having  been  raised,  must  necessarily  be  alluded  to  when- 
ever his  work  is  spoken  of.  Among  these  is  the  question  as  to  the 
originality  of  a  number  of  Diirer's  earlier  engraved  plates :  —  Are  the 
compositions  represented  in  these  plates  his  own,  or  did  he  merely  copy 
them  from  some  older  artist  ?  The  plates  in  dispute  are  the  following 
nine,  here  given  with  the  numbers  and  in  the  order  of  this  catalogue : 

lo.  The  Little  Courier. 

12.  The  Promenade. 

13.  The  Virgin  and  Child  with  the  Monkey. 

14.  The  Four  Naked  Women. 

15.  The  Dream. 

16.  The  Rape  of  Amymone. 

17.  Hercules. 

22.  The  Cook  and  his  Wife. 

27.  The  Lady  and  the  Lansquenet. 

Of  these  nine  plates  versions  exist  by  an  engraver  who  signs  with  a 
W.  (See  No.  14^  .)  Thausing  endeavored  to  show  that  this  engraver 
was  Wolgemut,  Diirer's  teacher,  and  that  his  plates  were  the  originals, 
while  those  bearing  Diirer's  monogram  were  copied  from  them.  He 

xxiii 


INTRODUCTION. 


allowed,  however,  that  the  compositions  of  those  of  the  plates  in  ques- 
tion which  showed  the  influence  of  the  antique  or  of  Italy  were  based 
on  studies  or  drawings  by  Diirer,  as  the  spirit  which  they  breathe 
is  entirely  foreign  to  Wolgemut.  Colvin  and  Harck  adopted  Thausing's 
conclusions,  and  Springer  also  declared  Diirer's  engravings  to  be  copies, — 
with  this  difference,  however,  that  he  substituted  Jacopo  de'  Barbari 
(known  as  Jacob  Walch  in  Germany,  as  already  stated,  whence  the  W) 
for  Wolgemut  as  the  author  of  those  compositions  which,  like  the 
"  Hercules,"  betray  the  influence  of  Italian  art.  The  question  cannot  be 
discussed  here  in  detail.  Those  interested  in  it  may  consult  the  authors 
named,  as  advocates  of  the  copyist  theory,  while  on  the  other  side  Lehrs 
must  be  heard.  (See  List  of  Books  for  titles.)  The  argument  of  the 
writer  last  named,  that  Wenzel  von  Olmiitz  is  the  author  of  the  W  prints, 
and  that  they  are  copies  from  Diirer,  would  seem  to  be  conclusive,  the 
most  convincing  fact  being  this,  that  nearly  all  of  the  copies  of  the  same 
subjects,  by  still  other  engravers,  can  be  shown  to  be  based  upon  Diirer's 
versions,  and  not  upon  W's. 


V.  Did  DiiRER  Invent  Etching  ? 

The  claim  that  Diirer  invented  etching  is  another  of  those  disturbing 
elements  needlessly  introduced  into  the  history  of  his  life  and  work, 
alluded  to  at  the  beginning  of  the  preceding  paragraph.  Thausing's 
attempt  to  substantiate  this  claim, —  not,  indeed,  a  new  one, —  would 
hardly  need  to  be  considered,  if  the  authority  enjoyed  by  his  in  so  many 
ways  admirable  book  had  not  led  other  writers  on  Diirer  to  follow  him 
unquestioningly.  Harzen,  in  his  excellent  essay  on  the  invention  of 
etching  (in  Naumann's  "  Archiv,"  1859),  has,  indeed,  settled  the  question 
conclusively ;  but  Thausing  brushes  him  aside  contemptuously,  and  even 
states  positively  that  he  is  wrong  in  ascribing  the  invention  of  the  art  to 
the  armorers,  who  used  etching  for  the  decoration  of  arms  and  armor 

xxiv 


INTRODUCTION. 


long  before  the  process  was  employed  by  painters  and  engravers  for  the 
production  of  printable  plates.  He  adds,  on  the  authority  of  unnamed 
connoisseurs,  that  no  armor  decorated  with  etching  is  known  which  can 
be  dated  before  1520.  In  view  of  this  state  of  things,  it  will  be  well  to 
give,  as  concisely  as  possible,  the  leading  dates  and  facts  involved.  They 
are  as  follows : 

Recipes  for  etching  on  iron  are  found  in  manuscripts  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  (Harzen.) 

A  number  of  short  swords,  with  etched  ornamentation,  still  preserved 
at  Bologna,  must  have  been  made  between  1488  and  1506.  (Harzen.) 

The  sword  of  Caesar  Borgia,  known  as  "  the  Queen  of  Swords,"  with 
rich  etched  ornamentation,  the  work  of  Hercules  de'  Fideli,  was  made 
between  1494  and  1498.  (Yriarte.) 

A  sword  in  the  Historical  Museum  at  Dresden,  also  richly  etched,  and 
bearing  the  device  of  Barbara  Gonzaga,  who  married  Count  Eberhard 
"  im  Bart"  of  Wiirtemberg  in  the  year  1474,  is  with  great  probability 
attributed  to  about  that  period  by  Mr.  Max  von  Ehrenthal,  the  director 
of  the  museum  in  question. 

The  same  museum  owns  also  parts  of  a  beautifully  etched  suit  of 
armor,  which  Mr.  von  Ehrenthal  is  inclined  to  attribute  to  Hercules  de' 
Fideli,  and  which,  judging  from  the  style  of  the  figure  compositions  on 
it,  must  certainly  be  of  Italian  origin  and  of  about  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century. 

Harzen  has  shown  conclusively,  although  by  circumstantial  evidence, 
that  the  Hopfers,  of  Augsburg,  produced  printing-plates  etched  on  iron, 
at  least  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  if  not  earlier. 

The  earliest  dated  etching  so  far  known,  of  the  year  1513,  "A  Girl 
Washing  her  Foot,"  is  by  Urs  Graf.  A  reproduction  of  this  etching  has 
lately  been  made  at  the  Government  Printing  Ofiice  in  Berlin. 

Diirer's  earliest  dated  etchings  are  of  the  year  1515,  two  years  later 
than  Graf's  plate. 

In  justice  to  Thausing,  however,  it  must  be  stated,  that  he  could 

4  XXV 


INTRODUCTION. 


hardly  have  known  about  the  work  of  Hercules  de'  Fideli,  and  that  Grafs 
etching,  although  mentioned  by  Eduard  His  as  far  back  as  1873  (see 
"  Jahrbiicher  fur  Kunstwissenschaft,"  VI,  p.  146,  No.  8),  attracted  no  at- 
tention until  lately. 

It  may  be  well  to  add  that  the  "  etchings  "  which  have  been  attributed 
to  the  Master  W  with  the  sign  somewhat  resembling  a  key,  to  Wenzel 
von  Olmiitz,  and  to  Hans  Baldung  Grien,  are  engravings. 

A  curious  reference  to  "  Scheidwasser "  (aquafortis,  nitric  acid)  is 
found  in  one  of  Diirer's  rhymes,  "  Von  der  bosen  Welt,"  e.,  "  Of  the 
Wicked  World  "  (L.  u.  F.,  p.  85) : 

Wer  bei  Bosen  wohnt  unverletzt, 
Den  kein  Scheidwasser  nit  fretzt, 

(who  lives  unharmed  with  bad  people  will  not  be  bitten  by  aquafortis). 
The  familiar  way  in  which  "Scheidwasser"  is  here  used  in  a  simile 
shows  that  it  must  have  been  well  known  not  only  to  Diirer,  but  also  to 
those  to  whom  he  addressed  himself,  at  the  time  when  these  rhymes 
were  written,  which,  it  would  seem,  cannot  have  been  later  than  15  10. 
Nevertheless  it  is  usually  accepted  as  a  fact  that  the  making  of  nitric 
acid,  and  consequently  the  knowledge  of  its  properties,  was  a  secret 
known  only  to  a  few  at  the  time  in  question,  and  that  it  was  not  gener- 
ally introduced  before  the  thirties  of  the  sixteenth  century.  (Lippmann, 
"  Kupferstich,"  p.  49.)  But  however  this  may  be,  the  dates  above  given 
are  not  affected  by  it. 


VI.    The  Technical  Processes  employed  by  Durer. 

Diirer  made  designs  for  wood-cutting,  and  himself  produced  printable 
plates  on  metal  by  engraving,  by  dry-pointing,  and  by  etching.  Of  dry- 
points  there  are  four:  "St.  Veronica  with  the  Sudarium,"  dated  15 10 
(No.  62  of  this  catalogue) ;  "  The  Man  of  Sorrows  with  Hands  Tied," 

xxvi 


INTRODUCTION. 


dated  15 12  (No.  64) ;  "St.  Jerome  by  the  Willow  Tree,"  also  dated  1512 
(No.  65) ;  and  "  The  Holy  Family,"  undated  (No.  66).  Of  etchings 
there  are  six:  "The  Man  of  Sorrows  seated,"  dated  15 15  (No.  81); 
"  Christ  in  the  Garden,"  of  the  same  year  (No.  82) ;  "  The  Sudarium  dis- 
played by  one  Angel,"  dated  15 16  (No.  83);  "The  Rape  of  a  Young 
Woman,"  of  the  same  year  (No.  84);  "The  Man  in  Despair,"  undated 
(No.  85) ;  and  "The  Cannon,"  dated  15 18  (No.  89).  All  the  rest  of  his 
plates  are  pure  graver  work. 

The  dry-point  plates  would  offer  no  difficulty  whatever,  if  Bartsch  had 
not  been  curiously  loose  in  his  statements  about  them, —  a  fact  all  the 
more  to  be  wondered  at  as  he  was  himself  a  very  skilled  engraver, — 
and  if  Thausing  had  not  beclouded  the  matter  still  further  by  groundless 
technical  speculations.  Bartsch  speaks  of  three  of  these  plates  as  "grave 
a  leau-forte  sur  une  planche  de  fer,"  i.  e.,  engraved  with  acid  on  an  iron 
plate.  Only  one  of  them,  the  "  St.  Veronica,"  he  describes  as  a  dry- 
point.  Naturally  enough  he  was  followed  in  this  by  any  number  of 
writers,  most  of  whom  are  content  to  sail  in  the  wake  of  "  authority," 
although  Von  Retberg  and  Hausmann  long  ago  pointed  out  the  true 
nature  of  these  plates.  Thausing  (II,  p.  69,  2d  ed.),  originally  misled, 
perhaps,  by  Bartsch's  statement,  declares  them  to  be  etched  plates,  i.  e., 
plates  bitten  with  acid,  which  Diirer  was  compelled  to  work  over  with 
the  dry-point,  because  he  did  not  know  how  to  manage  the  acid,  and 
therefore  underbit  them.  The  fallacy  of  the  argument  is  obvious,  but  in 
order  to  be  able  to  make  this  clear,  it  will  be  necessary  to  consider  the 
technic  of  dry-pointing,  and  as  this  technic  has  never  as  yet  been  cor- 
rectly illustrated,  such  a  discussion  will  be  of  special  interest  to  those 
who  care  for  these  matters.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  "dry-pointing" 
is  neither  more  nor  less  than  scratching  on  a  bare  metal  plate  with  a 
sharp  metal  point.  In  etching,  a  point  is  also  used,  but  its  office  in  this 
case  is  to  remove  the  "  ground,"  that  is  to  say,  the  thin  coating  of  wax, 
etc.,  which  protects  the  plate,  and  the  lines  thus  laid  bare  are  then  bitten 
in,  or,  in  other  words,  hollowed  out  in  the  plate,  by  the  corrosive  action 

xxvii 


INTRODUCTION. 


of  a  mordant  or  acid.  Etching,  therefore,  involves  the  use  of  a  fluid, 
and  hence  is  a  wet  process.  Scratching  with  a  point  on  the  bare  plate, 
on  the  contrary,  with  sufficient  force  to  produce  a  furrow  does  not  in- 
volve the  use  of  a  fluid.  Hence  it  is  a  dry  process,  and  as  the  instrument 
used  is  a  point,  it  is  called  "dry-pointing."  It  is  usually  stated  that  the 
point,  in  plowing  through  the  plate,  throws  up  a  ridge  of  copper,  which 
it  turns  up  alongside  of  the  furrow,  as  the  plowshare  turns  up  the  earth 
while  cutting  the  furrow  in  the  ground.  This  is  not,  however,  strictly 
correct.  In  the  first  place,  the  dry-point  cannot  be  compared  to  the 
plowshare,  as  it  is  not  pushed  through  the  copper,  but  is  held  like  a 
pencil,  and  is  drawn  over  the  copper.  The  action  of  the  plowshare  is, 
indeed,  that  of  the  graver,  which  is  pushed,  and  throws  the  copper  out 
of  the  furrow  produced.  The  point,  however,  does  not  remove  the  cop- 
per, nor  does  it  turn  it  up  alongside  of  the  furrow, —  it  merely  raises  it 


over  the  furrow  on  one  side  of  the  point  (see  Fig.  i),  while  on  the  other 
side  the  pressure  produces  a  very  slight  ridge.  The  metal  projection 
thus  raised  above  the  surface  of  the  plate  is  called  the  bur.  Generally 
speaking,  the  edge  of  this  bur  is  jagged,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  the  character  of  the  bur  depends  on  the  angle 
which  the  point  forms  with  the  surface  of  the  plate.  These  statements 
are  the  result  of  careful  investigations  made  by  the  writer  in  preparation 
for  a  course  of  lectures  delivered  before  the  Lowell  Institute,  at  Boston, 
some  years  ago.  It  is  this  projecting  bur  which  catches  the  ink  and 
prevents  the  clean  wiping  of  the  plate,  thus  producing  the  rich  velvety 
effect  so  highly  prized  by  the  dry-pointer.    By  partly  scraping  the  bur, 

xxviii 


I 


2 


INTRODUCTION. 


that  is  to  say,  by  reducing  its  height,  its  ink-catching  capacity  may  be 
reduced,  and  by  removing  it  entirely  this  capacity  may  be  destroyed 
altogether,  leaving  only  the  furrow, —  the  incised  line, —  which  will  then 
print  the  same  as  any  other  incised  line,  simply  producing  a  well-defined 
black  mark.  The  wearing  of  the  plate,  which  gradually  reduces  and 
finally  obliterates  the  bur  altogether,  has  the  same  effect  as  scraping. 
Impressions  from  a  worn  dry-point  plate,  therefore,  show  none  of  the 
velvety  effects  produced  by  such  a  plate  in  good  condition.  This  is  very 
well  illustrated  by  the  dry-points  in  different  states  here  exhibited  (see 
Nos.  65  and  66).  We  are  now  in  a  position  to  gage  Thausing's  theory, 
according  to  which  Diirer  first  etched  these  plates,  producing  lines  that 
were  too  shallow,  and  that  he  then  entered  these  lines  with  the  dry- 
point,  to  increase  their  printing  qualities.    As  the  action  of  the  point  in 


3 


the  line  would  have  raised  a  ridge  of  bur  in  the  line  (see  Fig.  3),  it  is 
evident  that  such  a  proceeding  would  have  filled  the  line,  instead  of 
deepening  it,  and  the  effect  would  have  been  the  very  reverse  of  that 
sought,  that  is  to  say,  the  ink-carrying  capacity  of  the  line  would  have 
been  reduced,  instead  of  being  increased.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
lines  had  been  so  shallow  as  to  have  no  perceptible  ink-holding  capacity, 
in  which  case  the  bur  might  have  risen  above  them,  no  artist  would 
have  thought  of  entering  these  useless  lines  with  the  point,  painfully 
following  one  after  the  other.  In  the  endeavor  thus  to  save  a  spoiled 
plate  all  the  freedom  of  dry-point  work  would  have  been  lost,  and  it 
would  have  been  much  better  to  take  a  fresh  plate,  and  begin  anew. 

That  the  plates  now  under  consideration  are  dry-points  admits  of 
no  doubt.  There  is  a  peculiarity  in  impressions  from  dry-point  plates 
which,  if  discoverable,  can  always  be  relied  upon,  and  which  was  first 

xxix 


INTRODUCTION. 


pointed  out  by  the  present  writer  in  the  introduction  to  the  catalogue 
of  the  Diirer  exhibition  held  in  Boston  in  the  year  1888.  The  bur 
thrown  up  by  the  point  projects  above  the  surface  of  the  copper,  so  that, 
in  a  dry-point  plate  in  good  condition  and  with  the  bur  unscraped, 
there  are  two  kinds  of  lines,  the  sunken  lines  or  furrows  which  hold  the 
ink  below  the  surface  of  the  plate,  and  the  raised,  relief  lines  of  the  bur, 
which  hold  it  upon  the  surface.  If  the  printer  wipes  with  sufficient  force, 
and  the  bur  lines  are  not  too  minute,  the  ink  is  removed  from  the  back 
of  the  bur.  The  result  in  the  impression  is  a  series  of  embossed  black 
lines,  produced  by  the  furrows  in  the  plate,  accompanied  by  a  series  of 
very  fine  white  lines,  pressed  into  the  paper,  caused  by  the  relief  lines 
of  the  bur.  The  plate  may  have  been  so  wiped  that  the  back  of  the 
bur  is  still  covered  with  ink,  in  which  case  no  white  lines  are  seen.  But 
wherever  the  depressed  white  lines  appear  alongside  of  the  embossed 
black  lines,  the  existence  of  dry-point  work  is  proven.  In  the  mag- 
nificent impression  of  "The  Holy  Family"  here  shown  (see  No.  66^) 
careful  inspection  will  disclose  some  of  these  sunken  white  lines,  and  in 
the  impression  from  the  original  plate  of  the  "  St.  Jerome  by  the  Willow 
Tree"  (No.  65^)  even  the  jagged  outline  of  the  bur  can  easily  be  seen 
in  the  strong  dry-pointing  of  the  monogram.  It  may  be  well  to  add 
that  "dry-point  work"  is  here  used  in  its  broadest  sense,  that  is  to  say, 
any  process  which,  by  the  use  of  some  suitable  instrument,  produces  a 
bur  capable  of  catching  the  ink. 

That  Diirer  should  have  dry-pointed  only  these  four  plates,  and  then 
abandoned  the  process  in  disgust,  is  no  cause  for  wonder.  All  these 
things  have  their  philosophy.  Diirer  had  no  care  for  chiaroscuro,  and, 
therefore,  really  had  no  use  for  dry-pointing.  It  needed  the  advent  of 
Rembrandt,  the  great  chiaroscurist,  to  produce  the  first  really  great  dry- 
pointer.  The  "  Master  of  1480  "  or  "  of  the  Amsterdam  Cabinet,"  in  spite 
of  the  many  dry-points  which  he  produced,  does  not  gainsay  this  asser- 
tion. In  the  first  place,  he  is  an  isolated  phenomenon ;  and  in  the  second 
place,  he  used  the  dry-point  merely  as  a  handy  substitute  for  the  graver, 

XXX 


INTRODUCTION. 


with  no  thought  whatever  of  the  effects  of  Hght  and  shade  which  it  is 
capable  of  producing. 

Diirer's  six  etched  plates  need  not  detain  us  long.  Their  technical 
character  is  sufficiently  manifest,  and  we  know  from  ocular  demonstra- 
tion that,  like  the  plates  of  the  Hopfers,  they  were  etched  on  iron  (see 
under  No.  82).  Again,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Diirer  did  not 
take  kindly  to  the  process.  Great  investigator  that  he  was,  it  was  quite 
natural  that  he  should  try  all  the  processes  he  heard  of,  and,  com- 
pelled as  he  was  to  work  for  the  market,  it  was  equally  natural  that 
he  should  not  be  averse  to  labor-saving  devices.  He,  therefore,  gave 
etching  a  somewhat  more  extended  trial  than  dry-pointing,  and  he  tried 
it  in  various  directions: — for  religious  representations,  like  "The  Suda- 
rium  displayed  by  one  Angel,"  etc.  (see  Nos.  81-83),  for  the  enigmatical 
nude  pseudo-classical  "  Rape  of  a  Young  Woman  "  (No.  84),  and  finally 
and  very  characteristically,  after  a  couple  of  years'  interval,  for  a  popular 
subject  appealing  to  the  interests  of  the  day,  "  The  Cannon  "  (No.  89). 
He  had'  evidently  gaged  it  for  what  it  really  was  to  the  many  artisan- 
artists  who  used  it  in  the  sixteenth  century, —  a  cheap  substitute  for 
engraving.  Hence  he  used  it  once  more  in  15 18  for  "The  Cannon," 
which,  without  doubt,  he  wished  to  bring  out  quickly,  so  as  to  turn  to 
profit  the  momentary  interest  aroused  by  this  great  "  dog  of  war,"  and 
then  he  threw  it  aside  for  ever.  His  care  was  for  subject  and  for  careful 
elaboration,  and  for  these  purposes  the  graver  was  the  far  more  congenial 
instrument.  It  needed  the  development  of  the  individualistic  spirit, 
with  Rembrandt  again  as  the  leader,  to  make  of  etching  a  great  art, — 
the  exponent  of  individualism  among  all  the  multiplying  arts. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  Thausing's  book,  it  would  have 
been  quite  unnecessary  to  consider  the  technical  character  of  Diirer's 
engravings.  They  were  acknowledged  to  be  pure  works  of  the  burin, 
and  as  such  they  had  never  been  questioned. 

In  the  laudable  endeavor  to  heap  honor  upon  his  hero,  Thausing 
attempts  to  make  Diirer  not  only  the  inventor  of  etching,  but  also  of 

xxxi 


INTRODUCTION. 


forwarding  by  etching,  that  is  to  saj-,  the  process  of  first  biting-in  the 
lines  of  a  plate,  or  of  certain  parts  of  a  plate,  and  then  finishing  the  work 
with  the  graver, — a  process  which  is  generally  said  to  have  been  first 
practised  by  the  engravers  of  the  Rubens  school,  and  which  is  to-day 
almost  universally  used  by  engravers.  We  have  seen  that  Thausing  tried 
to  make  out  of  Diirer's  dry-point  plates  etchings  gone  over  with  the 
dry-point.  Having  thus  failed  in  his  attempt  to  work  with  acid  on 
copper,  Thausing  goes  on  to  say,  Diirer  began,  about  15  14,  to  etch  on 
iron,  and,  succeeding  in  this,  he  "  found  in  etching  a  welcome  means  of 
reducing  the  labor  and  securing  the  perfection  of  engraving  on  copper  " 
(2d  German  ed.,  II,  p.  70).  This,  we  are  told,  explains  why  there  is  a 
total  change  of  character  in  Diirer's  engravings  from  the  year  15  14.  His 
older  plates  yield  brilliant  black  impressions.  "This  still  holds  good  of 
the  plates  of  15 13,  the  '  Madonna  by  the  Tree,'  B  35  (No.  67  of  this  cata- 
logue), of  the  'Sudarium  held  by  two  Angels,'  B  25  (No.  68),  and  of 
the  celebrated  '  Rider '  or  '  The  Knight,  Death,  and  the  Devil,'  B  98 
(No.  69).  It  is  only  the  later  engravings  by  Diirer  which  show  the 
peculiar,  more  uniform,  fainter  tone,  that  delicate,  silver-gray  garb, 
which  gives  them  such  a  distinguished  appearance.  The  'Madonna 
sitting  near  the  Wall  of  a  City,'  B  40  (No.  75),  forms,  as  it  would  seem, 
the  transition  to  the  new  technic.  The  treatment  of  this  plate  is 
unequal,  and  shows,  especially  in  the  flesh  parts  of  the  child  and  the 
head  of  Mary,  the  sharper,  blacker  burin  lines  of  the  older  plates.  It 
takes  its  position,  therefore,  close  by  the  border  line  of  the  two  methods. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  '  Virgin  with  short  Hair,  upon  the  Crescent,'  B 
33  (No.  74),  and  all  the  other  six  coppers  of  the  year  15 14,  including 
such  important  pieces  as  the  '  Melancholy '  (No.  70)  and  the  '  St. 
Jerome  in  the  Chamber'  (No.  71),  belong  to  the  new  group.  This 
suddenly  appearing  difierence  presupposes  a  method  differing  in  prin- 
ciple. .  .  .  From  the  evidence  at  hand,  I  can  explain  this  difference  only 
by  the  sharper  edges  of  the  burin  line,  as  against  the  porous  limits  of 
the  etched  line.    It  would  appear,  therefore,  that  Diirer  gave  up  etching 

xxxii 


INTRODUCTION. 


upon  copper  only  in  so  far  as  he  blended  it  with  his  burin  work.  The 
dry-point  had  shown  itself  insufficient ;  he  therefore  subordinated  it  to 
the  well-tried  burin.  He  secured  to  the  latter  the  preponderance,  con- 
tenting himself  with  a  very  slight  preparatory  etching  of  his  engravings, 
with  a  view  to  trimming  them  line  for  line  and  completing  them  with 
the  graver.  Even  so  the  laborious  work  of  the  burin  would  receive  con- 
siderable help,  and  a  method  would  thus  be  established  which  has  been 
practised  for  centuries.  Compare,  for  instance  .  .  .  B  3 1  (No.  44)  .  .  . 
and  B  32  (No.  86),  .  .  .  and  the  great  contrast  in  their  general  tone 
will  be  apparent  at  first  sight.  But  upon  closer  inspection  evidence  of 
the  traces  of  etching  will  also  be  found  in  the  blunter,  frayed  lines  of  the 
plate  last  named.  Experienced  collectors  and  dealers,  therefore,  have 
long  ago  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  faint  gray  impressions  from 
Diirer's  later  plates  are  preferable  to  the  lush,  blacker  ones  "  (2d  Germ, 
ed.,  II,  pp.  70-71). 

It  is  significant  that  Thausing  takes  as  his  starting-point  the  "  Madonna 
sitting  near  the  Wall  of  a  City,"  B  40  (No.  75  of  this  catalogue).  This 
plate  does  hold  a  special  place  among  Diirer's  engravings,  but  for  reasons 
quite  different  from  the  one  assigned  by  Thausing.  It  was  pointed  out 
above  that  there  is  a  progression  noticeable  in  Diirer's  work,  from  pure 
black  and  white  to  a  coloristic  effect.  As  extreme  types  "  The  Virgin 
and  Child  with  the  Monkey"  (No.  13)  and  the  plate  just  named  were 
cited.  In  the  former  there  is  almost  absolute  uniformity  of  treatment 
(if  we  except  a  slight  differentiation  in  the  sleeve  of  the  undergarment 
of  the  Virgin,  as  seen  on  her  left  arm),  in  the  latter  the  variety  of  tex- 
ture has  been  carried  farther  than  in  any  other  plate  ever  engraved  by 
Diirer.  The  flesh  is  treated  very  simply, —  almost  wholly  line,  with  but 
little  dotting ;  in  the  garments  of  the  Virgin  at  least  three  different  tex- 
tures are  noticeable, —  and  let  it  be  understood  here  that  "  texture  "  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  way  in  which  the  drapery  reflects  the  light  or 
breaks  into  folds, —  in  the  sleeve  of  the  under  garment,  in  the  fur- 
trimmed  wrapper,  and  in  the  satin-like  scarf  which  covers  the  head, 
5  xxxiii 


INTRODUCTION. 


hangs  down  the  back,  and  is  thrown  over  the  knee,  and  to  these  must 
be  added  the  variations  in  the  arrangement  and  combination  of  Hnes 
and  dots  in  the  foreground,  the  wall,  and  the  distant  landscape.  Thaus- 
ing  evidently  overlooked  this  peculiarity  of  the  plate  in  question,  but, 
noticing  a  difference  between  it  and  other  plates,  sought  for  other  rea- 
sons. It  will  be  sufficient  to  point  out  the  contradictions  in  which  he 
involves  himself  and  which  are  of  a  nature  to  destroy  the  force  of  his 
argument.  Diirer  is  supposed  to  have  been  led  to  the  use  of  the  dry- 
point  by  some  of  the  engravings  of  the  Master  of  1480,  "the  deHcate, 
bloomy  effect  of  which  we  must  attribute  principally  to  the  dry-point " 
(II,  p.  63).  But  he  starts  out  with  etching,  and  only  resorts  to  the  point 
after  its  failure.  Again,  we  are  told  that  the  richness  of  these  works  is 
best  seen  in  the  first  impressions  before  the  monogram,  while  evidently 
the  first  impressions  must  be  the  barest  of  all,  since  the  work  of  the  point 
came  in  only  later.  After  an  interval  of  four  years  he  began  to  etch  on 
iron,  which  necessitates  an  entirely  different  treatment  of  the  acid  or 
mordant  than  etching  on  copper,  and  having  been  successful  in  this,  he 
applied  the  process  to  copper  again,  but  wisely  abandoned  the  point,  and 
instead  trimmed  every  line  with  the  burin.  Nevertheless,  although  the 
action  and  the  purpose  of  the  burin  would  be  to  sharpen  and  clean  the 
work,  and  thus  to  remove  the  imperfections  inherent  in  the  etched  line, 
the  traces  of  etching  are  still  to  be  found  "  in  the  blunter,  frayed  lines  " 
produced  by  it. 

The  subject  might  be  dropped  here,  if  Thausing's  contradictory 
statements  had  not  been  adopted  by  later  writers,  one  of  whom,  Mr. 
Middleton,  the  author  of  the  well-known  Rembrandt  catalogue,  even  goes 
beyond  him  in  the  extent  to  which  he  would  make  etching  a  factor  in  the 
execution  of  Diirer's  engraved  plates.  Thus,  Thausing  expressly  names 
"  The  Sudarium  held  by  Two  Angels  "  (No.  68  of  this  catalogue)  as 
one  of  the  plates  illustrating  his  older  method,  while,  according  to  Mr. 
Middleton,  it  "was  printed  not  from  an  engraved,  but  from  an  etched 
plate  —  i.e.,  from  a  plate  in  which  the  design  was  both  bitten  in  and 

xxxiv 


INTRODUCTION. 


completed  with  the  acid."  In  the  introductory  note  to  his  "Catalogue 
of  the  Engraved  Work  of  Albert  Diirer"  (p.  6),  in  accordance  with 
which,  as  before  stated,  Diirer's  prints  have  been  arranged  in  the  Fitz- 
william  Museum  at  Cambridge  (England),  he  summarizes  his  conclusions 
as  follows : 

First.  He  [Diirer]  takes  up  a  process  already  practised,  that  of  direct 
engraving  upon  the  copper,  for  the  purpose  of  producing  impressions  upon 
paper. 

Second.  He  adopts  from  the  armorers  the  process  of  etching ;  and, 
as  a  ready  and  effective  method  of  producing  the  desired  effect,  he  com- 
pletes his  work  in  "dry  point." 

Third.  Finding  that  the  plates  so  treated  produced  very  few  even 
moderately  fine  impressions,  he  etches  a  plate  in  which  the  acid  shall  bite 
so  deeply  that,  to  produce  the  effect  he  desires,  no  further  tool  work  is 
required. 

Fourth.  He  varies  the  process,  and  now  etches  the  plate  lightly,  and 
after  taking  a  few  impressions  —  the  "  silvery-gray  impressions  " —  deep- 
ens the  lines  with  the  point. 

Fifth.  He  etches  upon  iron  or  steel  plates,  but  not  finding  the  result 
what  he  desired,  he  reverts  to  process  4. 

No  exception,  as  a  matter  of  course,  can  be  taken  to  paragraph  I  of 
this  statement. 

Paragraph  2  finds  its  reply  in  what  has  been  said  in  regard  to  dry- 
pointing;  the  bur  produced  in  the  bitten  line  would  diminish  its  ink- 
holding  capacity,  instead  of  increasing  it. 

Paragraph  3  must  be  taken  to  apply  to  one  plate  only,  the  "  Sudarium 

XXXV 


INTRODUCTION. 


held  by  Two  Angels,"  as  "  <2  plate  "  is  spoken  of  in  it,  and  as  the  plate 
named  is  the  only  one  of  which  Mr.  Middleton  declares  unequivocally 
that  it  "was  both  bitten  in  and  completed  with  the  acid"  (see  No.  70  of 
Mr.  Middleton's  catalogue).  If  this  expression  is  to  be  taken  literally,  it 
involves  the  claim  that  Diirer  knew  the  stopping-out  process,  the  method 
of  laying  a  re-biting  ground,  or  the  reversed  process,  which  begins  by 
etching  the  darkest  parts  first  and  then  proceeds  to  the  lighter,  and  so  on 
to  the  lightest;  but  there  is  no  evidence  whatever  in  the  six  undoubtedly 
etched  plates  by  Diirer  that  he  was  conversant  with  anything  but  flat 
biting.  Nor  does  the  character  of  the  lines  in  the  plate  in  question  point 
to  anything  but  the  graver,  in  their  steadiness,  in  their  clean  cutting,  in 
the  manner  of  their  beginning  and  ending.  This  may  seem  to  be  simply 
the  meeting  of  one  assertion  by  another.  It  is  most  unfortunate  that  it 
should  be  so.  There  is  nothing  left  to  those  interested  but  to  investigate 
for  themselves,  and  then  to  judge  each  assertion  in  the  Hght  of  the  infor- 
mation obtained. 

In  paragraph  4  the  statement  is  repeated  that  Durer  "  etches  the 
plate  lightly"  and  then  "deepens"  the  lines  "with  the  point."  These 
plates,  therefore,  would  differ  in  nothing  from  those  described  in  para- 
graph 2,  and  the  objection  raised  there  would  hold  good  also  here.  It 
is  to  be  presumed,  however,  that  "point"  in  this  instance  is  merely  a 
misprint  for  "  burin."  Writing  of  "The  Virgin  seated  by  a  Wall"  (Mr. 
Middleton's  No.  71  ;  No.  75  of  this  catalogue),  he  says:  "The  plate  was 
first  lightly  etched,  and  then  the  lines  which  should  produce  the  darker 
shading  were  deepened  with  the  burin.  In  the  latest  impressions  the 
lines  have  all  thus  been  re- worked."  And  again  of  the  plate  imme- 
diately following,  "  The  Virgin  with  Short  Hair  on  a  Crescent "  (No.  74 
of  this  catalogue)  :  "  The  earliest  impressions  taken  from  the  lightly- 
etched  plate  have  the  silvery-gray  tone.  .  .  .  Later  and  darker  im- 
pressions were  printed  from  the  plate  after  it  had  been  re-worked  with 
the  burin."  There  are  several  objections  to  be  made  to  these  statements. 
In  the  first  place,  the  method  of  proceeding  here  outlined  quite  contra- 

xxxvi 


INTRODUCTION. 


diets  the  ways  of  Diirer,  so  far  as  we  know  them.  The  trial  proofs  from 
the  "Hercules"  (No.  17)  and  from  "Adam  and  Eve"  (No.  34)  show 
that  he  did  not  carry  on  his  plates  as  a  ivhole,  but  that  he  finished  one 
part  after  another.  It  may  be  claimed,  however,  that  he  changed  his 
method  in  later  years,  and  this  conjecture  does  not  involve  an  impossi- 
bility. But  if  he  executed  some  of  his  plates  in  at  least  three  stages,  as 
it  is  averred  of  "  The  Virgin  seated  by  a  Wall,"  —  first  lightly  etching  it, 
then  strengthening  the  darker  shading,  and  then  re-working  the  whole 
plate  with  the  burin, —  where,  it  is  quite  legitimate  to  ask,  are  the  proofs 
of  these  three  distinctly  different  "  states  "  ?  Finally,  as  to  the  re-work- 
ing of  the  whole  surface  of  the  plate  with  the  burin, —  a  terrible  under- 
taking in  plates  of  such  delicate  character,  not  at  all  to  be  compared 
with  the  reentering  of  the  lines,  as  practised  by  later  engravers  !  Mr. 
Middleton  himself,  indeed,  indirectly  recognizes  this  difficulty.  Writing 
of  "The  Knight,  Death,  and  the  Devil  "  (No.  69  of  his,  as  well  as  of  the 
present  catalogue),  he  says :  "  It  has  been  suggested  that  to  conceal  the 
error  [in  one  of  the  feet  of  the  horse],  he  worked  the  plate  over  again, 
hence  the  dark  tone  of  the  earlier  \sic  !'\  impressions.  I  cannot  accede 
to  this  supposition ;  it  would  hardly  have  been  possible  to  avoid  leaving 
some  trace  of  such  re-work,  and  yet  no  such  trace  can  be  discovered." 
Is  not,  then,  the  question  pertinent :  Why  are  no  such  traces  visible  in 
the  other  plates  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  re-worked  ? 
As  to  paragraph  5,  no  remarks  are  needed. 

Considering  all  these  points,  it  is  impossible  to  come  to  a  conclusion 
differing  from  the  statement  made  at  the  outset:  Of  Diirer's  plates  on 
metal,  four  are  dry-points,  six  are  etchings  on  iron,  all  the  rest  are  pure 
burin  work. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  some  of  the  impressions 
from  Diirer's  plates  are  black,  others  silvery,  while  others  again  show 
still  different  qualities.  The  explanation  of  these  differences  is  found 
in  the  varying  methods  of  printing  adopted  and  developed  by  Diirer 
and  his  printers  in  the  course  of  time. 

xxxvii 


INTRODUCTION. 


VII.  The  Printing  of  Durer's  Plates. 

The  different  methods  of  printing  exempHfied  by  the  impressions  from 
Durer's  plates  supply  material  for  a  most  interesting  chapter  in  the 
history  of  printing, —  a  subject,  so  far  as  it  applies  to  the  treatment  of 
engraved  plates,  hitherto  almost  entirely  neglected.  This  catalogue  may 
claim  to  be  the  first  in  which  special  attention  is  paid  to  it.  The  conclu- 
sions arrived  at  are  based  on  careful  studies  made  in  the  Departement  des 
Estampes  of  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  at  Paris,  in  the  Print  Room  of  the 
British  Museum  at  London,  and  in  the  Royal  Print  Cabinets  at  Dresden 
and  at  Berlin.  The  notes  there  made  have  been  tested  by  an  examina- 
tion of  the  Diirers  in  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts  at  Boston  (most  of  which 
belong  to  the  Gray  Collection,  the  property  of  Harvard  College),  and  of 
the  fine  collection  brought  together  for  this  exhibition. 

Schongauer's  plates  are  printed  with  an  intensely  black,  strong  ink, 
which,  being  deposited  on  animal-sized  e.,  glued)  paper,  assumes  a 
bright  gloss  in  the  heavy  lines.  Practically,  they  are  clean  wiped,  that 
is  to  say,  all  the  ink  is  removed  from  the  surface  of  the  plate,  so  that 
only  the  lines  drawn  by  the  engraver  show  black  on  a  white,  or  at  least 
light  ground.  Wherever  ink  was  left  on  the  surface  of  the  plate,  between 
the  lines  or  on  unworked  parts,  it  was  by  accident.  This  is  true  also  of 
Durer's  early  plates.  Beautiful  examples  of  such  clean-wiped  impres- 
sions are  found  in  this  exhibition  in  No.  7,  "The  Penance  of  St.  John 
Chrysostom,"  and  No.  13%  "The  Virgin  and  Child  with  the  Monkey." 
In  these  impressions  every  line  is  clean  and  clear,  and  even  in  the  most 
closely  worked  parts  (the  darkest  shadows)  the  minute  points  of  copper 
left  standing  between  the  crossing  lines  produce  white  points.  Not  all 
impressions,  however,  were  as  successful.  If  the  plate  was  not  sufficiently 
close-wiped,  the  lines  were  too  full,  and  in  the  darkest  parts  they  ran  to- 
gether, so  that  these  parts  formed  black  masses.  The  difference  can  very 
well  be  studied  in  the  four  impressions  of  No.  32,  "  St.  Eustace,"  of  which 

xxxviii 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  darker  impressions  show  this  "  filling."  Impressions  of  this  kind,  if 
otherwise  clean  wiped,  present  strong  contrasts,  and  collectors  are  apt  to 
call  them  "brilliant."  (Compare  also  No.  ij*".)  The  ideal  of  old  print- 
ing evidently  always  was  the  "  clean  wipe,"  even  in  the  darkest  parts. 
Whoever  has  tried  his  hand  at  printing  knows,  however,  that  the  clean 
wiping  of  a  plate  is  not  as  easy  a  matter  as  it  may  seem  to  be.  The  first 
attempts, —  and  not  only  the  first  attempts  of  amateur  printers, —  are  sure 
to  be  "  smudged  "  impressions, —  that  is  to  say,  impressions,  which  show 
tinting  or  spots  where  the  ink  has  not  been  removed  from  the  surface  of 
the  plate.  Occasionally  such  an  accident  will  happen  also  to  a  skilled 
printer,  and  the  accident  may  be  a  fortunate  one.  It  is  most  likely  to 
happen  in  some  part  of  the  plate  where  the  lines  are  tolerably  close 
together,  producing  a  spot  of  richer  color  than  the  engraver  intended. 
Such  presumably  accidental  smudging  or  tinting  may  be  noticed  in 
No.  8%  "The  Virgin  on  the  Crescent  without  Crown."  As  humanity, 
however,  learns  by  its  misfortunes,  its  accidents,  so  did  the  printers. 
It  was  easily  seen  that  this  smudging  or  tinting  could  be  utilized  to  good 
purpose,  if  it  could  only  be  brought  under  control,  and  the  effort  was 
made,  therefore,  to  produce  consciously  what  at  first  was  brought  about 
unconsciously.  Such  evidently  conscious  attempts  at  tinting  are  sup- 
plied by  No.  9,  "The  Little  Fortune,"  and  No.  33^  "Nemesis."  But 
the  printers  must  soon  have  become  convinced  that,  with  the  strong, 
intensely  black  ink  which  they  were  in  the  habit  of  using,  tinting  under 
control  was  quite  a  difficult  thing,  and  they  began,  therefore,  to  experi- 
ment with  softer  and  warmer  inks.  A  manifestly  early  attempt  of  this 
kind  is  seen  in  No.  36,  "Apollo  and  Diana,"  and  later  ones  can  easily 
be  found  by  the  aid  of  the  notes  which  accompany  each  print.  For  the 
present  purpose,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  call  attention  to  No.  94,  "  The 
Virgin  crowned  by  one  Angel,"  the  two  impressions  of  No.  95,  "The 
Virgin  with  the  Child  swaddled,"  and  No.  96,  "  St.  Christopher  with 
the  head  turned  to  the  left."  These  impressions  show  "artificial" 
printing  in  the  sixteenth  century  in  its  highest  development. 

xxxix 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  change  in  the  consistency  and  the  color  of  the  ink  led,  however, 
to  still  other  results.  The  effect  produced  was  much  more  delicate,  not 
only  because  the  ink  was  more  delicate,  but  also  because  the  lines  were 
apt  to  be  somewhat  more  wiped  out.  And  as,  very  probably,  the  two 
kinds  of  printing  were  used  simultaneously,  and  a  plate  was  printed 
sometimes  in  the  old  style  and  sometimes  in  the  new,  the  existence 
of  impressions,  quite  different  in  effect  from  the  same  plate,  is  easily 
explained :  an  impression  printed  in  the  old  style,  with  strong  black 
ink,  produces  a  black,  heavier  effect,  another  printed  in  a  softer  ink 
produces  what  is  usually  called  a  "  silvery  "  effect.  It  is  not  at  all  an 
assured  fact,  therefore,  that  the  "silvery"  impressions  are  the  earlier  and 
the  black  ones  the  later;  it  may  be  said,  indeed,  that  the  reverse  is  more 
likely  to  be  true.  This  is  evidently  so,  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  im- 
pressions Nos.  27^  and  27'',  "The  Lady  and  the  Lansquenet."  The  first 
is  a  very  fine  dark  impression  in  pure  black  ink,  the  second  is  much 
more  delicate  and  silvery,  but  the  fact  that  it  shows  slight  and  even 
tinting  in  the  saddle-cloth  and  on  the  ground  to  the  left  betrays  it 
as  a  later  impression.  It  can  be  noticed  also  that  in  many  cases  the 
lines  in  the  black  impressions  have  a  rougher  appearance  than  the 
"silvery"  ones.  There  is  such  an  impression  of  No.  86,  "The  Virgin 
on  the  Crescent,  with  Crown  of  Stars  and  Scepter,"  in  the  Gray  Col- 
lection, Boston:  If  the  darker  effect  produced  by  it  were  due  to  the 
reworking  of  the  lines  with  the  graver,  the  edges  of  the  lines  ought  to  be 
sharper  and  cleaner  than  those  of  the  lines  in  the  silvery  impressions, 
whereas  the  contrary  holds  true. 

The  stages  of  development  in  the  art  of  printing  engraved  plates,  as 
practised  by  Diirer  and  his  printers,  may  now  be  summarized  as  follows : 
I.  Clean  wiping,  with  intensely  black,  strong  ink;  2.  Attempts  to  obtain 
tinting  with  such  ink,  caused  by  accidents  which  the  printers  tried  to 
bring  under  control;  3.  The  substitution  of  softer  and  warmer  inks, 
which  not  only  produced  a  softer  effect,  but  allowed  also  of  tinting  on 
parts  or  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  plate,  thus  giving  rise  to  "  artifi- 

xl 


INTRODUCTION. 


cial "  printing.  Toward  the  end  of  his  career,  and  especially  in  his 
portraits,  Diirer  seems,  however,  to  have  preferred  again  simpler  methods, 
with  only  very  slight  tinting.  He  saw,  no  doubt,  that  such  artificial 
printing  as  may  be  seen  in  the  two  impressions  of  No.  95  was  likely  to 
lead  to  excess,  and  he  therefore  cried  halt. 

It  is  very  curious  to  note  that  these  skilled  sixteenth-century  printers 
stopped  short  at  tinting,  and  did  not  also  discover  "  retroussage,"  that 
is  to  say,  the  spreading  of  the  ink  between  the  lines  by  playing  over  the 
plate  with  a  soft  rag  after  it  has  been  wiped.  It  was  left  for  the  printers 
of  the  nineteenth  century  to  make  this  discovery.  Not  even  Rembrandt 
knew  "  retroussage,"  although  he,  too,  tried  his  hand  at  tinting  and  artifi- 
cial printing,  as  we  may  see,  for  instance,  in  the  splendid  impression  of 
the  "St.  Francis,"  B  107,  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Theodore  Irwin,  of 
Oswego. 

It  would  have  been  desirable  to  illustrate  the  development  of  printing 
as  above  outlined  by  actual  demonstration,  that  is  to  say,  by  a  series  of 
impressions  from  one  and  the  same  plate,  in  different  inks  and  difierently 
wiped.  To  make  this  demonstration  conclusive,  however,  it  would  have 
needed  a  plate,  if  not  engraved  by  Diirer,  at  least  approximating  his 
manner.  Such  a  plate,  unfortunately,  was  not  obtainable.  There  have, 
however,  been  placed  on  exhibition  a  number  of  impressions  of  a 
modern  etching,  which  will  serve  to  show  what  the  printer  can  do  with 
a  plate, —  a  subject  of  which  the  public  at  large  is  entirely  uninformed, 
to  the  detriment  of  the  printer.  For  further  explanations,  see  Sup- 
plementary Illustrations,  Nos.  XIV  and  XV. 

The  differences  in  the  qualities  of  the  prints  from  the  same  plate  add 
to  their  charm,  as  they  give  an  individuality  to  each  impression,  and 
allow  of  the  exercise  of  taste  by  the  purchaser.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  Diirer  was  fully  aware  of  these  differences,  but  it  is  nevertheless 
interesting  to  find  that  he  refers  to  them.  Speaking,  in  his  book  on  the 
proportions  of  the  human  body,  of  the  impossibility  of  making  two 
things  absolutely  alike,  he  says :  "  For  we  see,  when  we  make  two  im- 
6  xli 


INTRODUCTION. 


pressions  from  an  engraved  copper  ....  that  at  once  a  difference  can 
be  found,  by  which  we  may  know  them  from  one  another,  for  many 
reasons."    (L.  u.  F.,  p.  218.) 

VIII.  DuRER's  Price-list. 

As  the  prices  charged  by  Diirer  for  his  prints  are  occasionally  referred 
to  in  the  following  notes,  it  may  be  of  interest  to  group  together  here  all 
we  know  concerning  them.  In  the  Diary  of  his  journey  to  the  Nether- 
lands, Diirer  has  entered  also  his  sales,  and  from  them  we  can  in  a  meas- 
ure reconstruct  his  price-list.  The  most  important  sale  is  that  to  Sebald 
Fischer,  at  Antwerp,  from  which  it  appears  that  his  wholesale  rates,  so  to 
speak,  were  as  follows : — "  The  Small  Passion  "  on  wood,  4  sets  for  one 
florin;  "The  Large  Passion,"  "The  Apocalypse,"  and  "The  Life  of  the 
Virgin,"  4  sets  for  one  florin ;  "  The  Passion  "  on  copper,  2  sets  for  one 
florin;  whole  sheets  (including  such  engravings  as  "  Adam  and  Eve," 
"  Melancholy,"  etc.),  8  assorted  for  one  florin  ;  half  sheets  ("  The  Great 
Crucifixion,"  "The  Nativity,"  etc.),  20  assorted  for  one  florin;  quarter 
sheets  (the  small  Madonnas,  saints,  and  peasant  subjects),  45  assorted 
for  one  florin.  Usually  the  sales  are  given  in  a  lump,  as  "  a  set  of  all  the 
copperplates,  a  Passion  on  wood,  one  on  copper,  two  half  sheets,  and 
two  quarter  sheets,  sold  together  for  eight  florins  in  gold."  Single  pieces 
or  sets  are  priced  only  occasionally,  as  a  "Passion"  on  wood,  sold  for  12 
stivers  (half  a  florin),  and  an  "  Adam  and  Eve,"  sold  for  4  (one  sixth  of 
a  florin).  These  prices  are  enough  to  make  an  admirer  and  collector  of 
Diirer's  works  giddy,  and  to  cause  him  to  wish  that  he  had  been  born 
four  hundred  years  ago.  And  even  if  we  take  into  account  the  much 
greater  purchasing  power  of  money  at  the  time,  they  still  remain  ludic- 
rously low.  According  to  Thausing  the  living  expenses  of  a  Nuremberg 
burgher  at  the  time  were  computed  at  50  florins  a  year,  while  a  salary 
of  100  florins  a  year  was  considered  quite  decent,  and  the  yearly  income 
of  the  highest  official  of  the  town,  that  of  the  imperial  magistrate  (Schul- 

xlii 


INTRODUCTION. 


theiss)  was  only  600  florins.  Diirer  himself,  indeed,  hardly  considered 
50  or  even  100  florins  enough  for  a  year's  living.  Writing  to  Jacob  Hel- 
ler on  March  19,  1508,  about  the  picture  of  "  The  Martyrdom  of  the  Ten 
Thousand,"  just  finished  for  the  Elector  Frederic,  he  says:  "I  worked 
on  it  nearly  a  whole  year,  and  shall  profit  little  by  it ;  for  I  do  not  re- 
ceive more  than  280  florins  Rhenish  for  it.  One  needs  about  that  for 
food."  Lange  and  Fuhse  (p.  9,  note  3)  write  on  the  same  subject  as 
follows  :  "  The  Rhenish  gold  florin,  the  value  of  which  had  considerably 
decreased,  in  consequence  of  continued  deterioration  of  fineness,  is  cal- 
culated for  the  time  in  question  as  having  a  gold  value  of  5.36  marks 
($1.34).  Its  actual  value  in  use,  which,  naturally,  was  very  much  larger, 
is  apparent  from  the  fact  that  about  the  year  1520  the  schoolmasters  of 
Nuremberg  received  only  20  florins  in  current  coin  a  year,  the  '  Schneid- 
arzt '  (cutting  physician,  i.  e.,  surgeon)  80  florins,  the  '  medicus,'  100 
florins;  the  legal  advisers  of  the  council,  160-260  florins.  The  salary  of 
the  '  Schultheiss '  (imperial  magistrate),  600  florins,  was  quite  excep- 
tional, and  evidently  gaged  in  accordance  with  the  duties  of  representa- 
tion. Accordingly,  translated  into  our  present  conditions,  200  florins 
would  correspond  to  4000  marks  (z.  e.,  $1000.  The  text  says  6000  marks, 
but  this  is  corrected  in  the  errata).  Perhaps,  however,  wherever  Diirer 
mentions  only  gulden,  instead  of  Rhenish  gulden,  we  shall  have  to 
understand  Nuremberg  gulden.  These  were  worth  even  more  than  the 
Rhenish  gulden.  A  piece  of  the  year  1523  has  been  calculated,  from 
its  weight,  to  be  worth  6.80  marks."  This  would  make  it  $1.70,  and 
accordingly  would  raise  the  purchasing  power  of  200  florins  to  about 
$1270.  In  the  introduction  to  the  catalogue  of  the  Boston  Diirer  Exhibi- 
tion, the  purchasing  power  of  100  florins  in  Diirer's  time  was  assumed  to 
be  about  equal  to  $1000,  and  the  prices  of  his  publications  were  accord- 
ingly calculated  as  follows : 

The  large  woodcut  publications,  "  Apocalypse,"  etc.,  in  quantities, 
$2.50  per  set. 

xliii 


INTRODUCTION. 


"The  Passion  on  Copper,"  in  quantities,  $5.00  per  set. 

The  "full  sheets,"  in  quantities,  $1.25  each. 

The  "  half  sheets,"  in  quantities,  50  cents  each. 

The  "quarter  sheets,"  in  quantities,  about  22  cents  each. 

The  large  "Passion  on  Wood,"  at  retail,  $5.00  per  set. 

The  "Adam  and  Eve,"  at  retail,  $1.67  each. 

Accepting  Lange  and  Fuhse's  valuation,  these  prices  will  have  to  be 
reduced  as  follows:  $5.00  to  $3.17;  $2.50  to  $1.59;  $1.67  to  $1.06 ; 
$1.25  to  79  cents;  50  cents  to  32  cents;  22  cents  to  14  cents. 


IX.  The  Scope  and  Value  of  the  Present  Exhibition. 

As  before  noted,  and  as  the  title  of  this  catalogue  indicates,  only  the 
works  on  metal  by  Diirer  are  included  in  the  present  exhibition,  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  woodcuts.  Of  the  works  on  metal  all  are  shown  in  orig- 
inal impressions,  except,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  few  which  are  unique, 
or  nearly  so,  and  therefore  not  obtainable.  These,  however,  are  repre- 
sented by  facsimiles  or  copies.  The  doubtful  and  spurious  works  are  also 
included,  but  they  have  been  placed  together  by  themselves  (Nos.  103-12). 
No  attempt  has  been  made  to  show  any  large  number  of  copies,  beyond 
the  few  which  happened  to  be  within  reach  almost  accidentally.  Nor 
would  the  exhibition  of  such  copies  be  desirable  or  necessary.  Although 
there  are  some  among  them  which  may  be  called  "misleading,"  the  vast 
majority  are  sufficiently  bad  to  condemn  themselves.  As  an  object  les- 
son, a  few  late  impressions  from  the  worn  plates  have  been  admitted, 
so  as  to  show  how  badly  some  of  these  plates  have  been  abused,  and 
to  warn  the  intending  collector  of  what  he  must  beware.  Even  such 
bad  impressions  are  still  sometimes  catalogued  by  unscrupulous  dealers 
as  "  good  "  or  "  fine."  The  Biographical  and  Supplementary  Illustrations 
hardly  call  for  special  mention. 

xliv 


INTRODUCTION. 


In  conclusion,  a  word  of  regret, —  regret  that  the  fine  collection  here 
brought  together  for  the  edification  and  the  information  of  the  public, 
by  the  liberality  of  a  number  of  owners,  who,  in  accordance  with  the 
policy  of  the  Grolier  Club,  must  even  remain  unnamed,  cannot  be  kept 
together.  Not  only  is  the  quality  of  the  impressions  here  shown,  on  the 
average,  an  exceptionally  high  one,  but  the  important  and  distinctive 
feature  of  the  exhibition  is  that  of  some  of  the  prints  two,  three,  and 
even  more  impressions  are  shown.  It  is  this  feature  which, — with  the 
aid  of  the  notes  of  the  catalogue, — will  enable  the  visitor  to  make  the 
comparative  study  of  the  methods  of  printing  adopted  by  Diirer  which 
is  quite  necessary  to  the  full  understanding  of  the  interest  offered  by 
these  prints,  and  which  supplies  the  material  for  a  chapter  in  the  history 
of  printing,  hitherto,  as  before  remarked,  altogether  too  much  neglected. 
Naturally,  in  the  comparisons  which  had  to  be  instituted  between  the 
different  impressions,  a  frank  expression  of  opinion  could  not  be  avoided. 
When  the  susceptibilities  with  which  collectors  are  usually  charged 
are  considered,  it  will  be  thankfully  acknowledged  that  the  gentlemen 
who  have  contributed  to  this  exhibition  have  shown  themselves  remark- 
ably free  from  them.  It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  some  of 
the  terms  used  in  describing  the  impressions  shown  do  not  really  con- 
vey the  unfavorable  meaning  which  at  first  sight  they  seem  to  possess. 
Even  a  "  smudged  "  impression,  that  is  to  say,  one  in  which  the  tinting 
is  still  accidental,  is  not  necessarily  a  bad  one,  more  especially  if  con- 
sidered as  a  document  in  the  history  of  printing,  and  there  is  not  an 
impression  of  this  kind  in  the  exhibition  which  any  museum  would  not 
be,  or  at  least  ought  to  be,  glad  to  possess.  And  this  again  emphasizes 
the  regret  already  expressed,  that  this  collection  cannot  be  kept  together 
for  ever  and  deposited  in  a  museum.  As  a  rule,  museums  aim  only  to 
have  one  good  impression  of  each  print,  and  this  is  why  comparative 
studies  can  only  be  carried  on  with  difficulty  by  examining  isolated 
examples  in  collections  scattered  all  over  Europe.  The  ideal  collection 
would  represent,  not  only  each  plate,  but  also  all  the  various  possibili- 

xlv 


INTRODUCTION. 


ties  of  each  plate, —  and  the  collection  here  shown  comes  nearer  to  this 
ideal  than  any  public  collection  now  in  existence. 

The  list  of  books  and  papers  consulted  in  the  compilation  of  this  cata- 
logue, given  elsewhere,  may  serve  to  point  out,  not  only  the  facilities  for 
the  verification  of  the  references  in  the  notes  which  follow,  but  also  the 
means  for  a  thorough  study  of  Diirer  in  connection  with  the  exhibition. 
The  principal  references  are,  naturally  enough,  to  the  biography  of  Diirer 
by  Moriz  Thausing,  and,  for  the  convenience  of  those  not  conversant 
with  German,  to  its  English  translation,  except  where  the  contrary  has 
been  expressly  stated.  The  finding-list  at  the  end  of  the  catalogue  will 
enable  visitors  to  find  without  trouble  any  of  the  prints  by,  or  attributed 
to  Diirer,  according  to  the  numbers  given  to  them  by  Bartsch  and 
Passavant. 

The  abbreviations  used  almost  explain  themselves :  B  stands  for 
Bartsch,  R  for  Retberg,  H  for  Heller,  P  for  Passavant,  M  for  Middleton. 

Right  and  left,  when  used  in  the  description  of  a  print,  is  always  un- 
derstood to  refer  to  the  right  and  the  left  side  of  the  person  looking  at 
it.  The  case  is  different  when  a  person  represented  in  the  print  is  spoken 
of.  "The  left  arm  of  the  Virgin,"  for  instance,  actually  means  her  left 
arm,  although  in  the  print  it  is  seen  on  the  right  side. 


xlvi 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


a  NUREMBERG  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 

/.  View  of  the  western  side  of  Nuremberg,  taken  from  the  Haller- 
wiese,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pegnitz.  "  From  the  low-lying  point  of  view, 
the  observer,  facing  north,  sees,  above,  the  Thiergartner  Tower,  or  the 
New  Gate  Tower,  which  was  then  still  quadrangular,  whence  the  city 
wall  runs  toward  the  right  in  front,  while  in  the  distance,  wooded 
heights  extend  up  to  the  houses  of  St.  Johann  "  (Thausing,  I,  p.  123, 
2d  ed.).  Heliotype  from  a  drawing  in  colors  by  Diirer,  in  the  Kunst- 
halle  at  Bremen.  Above  is  written  "  Nornperg,"  with  Diirer's  mono- 
gram, which  is,  however,  a  later  addition.    (Lippmann,  No.  103.) 

2.  The  houses  of  St.  Johann,  near  Nuremberg.  Above  is  written 
"  Sant  Johans  Kirchn,"  i.  e.,  "  St.  John's  Church,"  with  Diirer's  mono- 
gram, which  is  again  a  later  addition.  To  the  right  are  seen  the  chapel 
and  the  cemetery,  where  Diirer  was  to  find  his  last  resting-place  (Thau- 
sing,  I,  p.  123,  2d  ed.).  Hehotype  from  the  drawing  in  body  colors,  by 
Diirer,  in  the  Kunsthalle  at  Bremen.    (Lippmann,  No.  104.) 

3.  Nuremberg  in  1552.  Etching  by  Hans  Sebald  Lautensack.  The 
inscription  over  the  coat-of-arms  reads :  "  True  representation  of  the 
praiseworthy  city  of  the  realm  Nuremberg,  against  the  rising  of  the  sun. 
1552."  Lauteasack  etched  also  a  companion  view,  "against  the  setting 
of  the  sun." 

There  are  other  views  near  Nuremberg  by  Diirer,  drawn,  probably,  toward  the 
end  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Of  these  the  "  Weidenmiihle"  (willow-mill),  still 
existing  near  the  Hallerwiese,  according  to  Thausing;  the  "  Drahtziehmiihle  " 

7  xlix 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


(wire-drawing  mill);  a  view  of  the  village  of  Kalkreut;  and  the  "  Weiherhaus," 
near  the  Gleishammer,  east  of  Nuremberg  (Thausing,  I,  pp.  123-24,  2d  ed.), 
have  been  reproduced  by  Lippmann  (Nos.  331,  4,  105,  and  220)  :  two 
of  them  (Nos.  4  and  220)  in  the  colors  of  the  originals.  The  "Weiherhaus" 
was  utilized  by  Diirer  in  the  middle  distance  of  "  The  Virgin  and  Child  with 
the  Monkey"  (No.  13  of  this  catalogue).  Ephrussi  mentions  furthermore  a 
view  taken  from  the  Trockensteg,  in  the  Albertina,  and  a  large  view  of  a  village 
near  Nuremberg,  in  the  Bertini  Collection,  at  Milan. 

b  DURER'S  FATHER,  Albert  Durer  the  Elder. 

Etching  from  the  painting  in  the  possession  of  the  Duke  of  Northum- 
berland, now  at  Sion  House,  London.  The  etching  was  made  by 
Wenzeslas  Hollar,  in  the  year  1644,  when  the  painting  was  in  the  col- 
lection of  the  Earl  of  Arundel.  The  inscription  above  reads:  "  1497. 
Albrecht  Thvrer,  the  elder,  and  old  70  years."  Old  copies  of  this  pic- 
ture are  preserved  in  the  Staedel  Institute,  Frankfort,  and  in  the  gallery 
(Pinakothek)  at  Munich.    Of  the  latter  there  is  a  lithograph  by  Strixner. 

There  is  another  portrait  of  Diirer  the  Elder,  by  his  son  Albert,  in  the  gallery 
of  the  Uffizi,  at  Florence,  which,  according  to  Thausing  (I,  p.  47,  2d  ed.),  was 
painted  at  the  end  of  Diirer's  apprenticeship,  and  before  he  started  on  his  wan- 
derings as  a  journeyman  painter  (1490).  Ephrussi  (pp.  81,  82)  describes  also  a 
drawing  in  the  British  Museum  as  a  portrait  of  Diirer  the  father,  by  the  son, 
and  Springer  (p.  171)  refers  to  it  as  a  study  for  the  painting  in  Florence.  Lipp- 
mann, however,  does  not  reproduce  it,  which  shows  that  he  rejects  it.  A  me- 
dallion portrait  of  Diirer  the  Elder,  said  to  have  been  modeled  by  the  son  in 
the  year  1514,  is  now  discredited.    (Thausing,  II,  p.  51,  2d  ed.) 

c  DURER'S  MOTHER,  Barbara  Durer. 

Facsimile  of  a  drawing  by  Diirer,  in  the  Print  Cabinet  at  Berlin. 
(Lippmann,  No.  40.)  The  inscriptions  may  be  translated  as  follows: 
"  1 5 14.  March  19.  This  is  Albrecht  Diirer's  mother,  she  was  63  years 
old,  and  died  in  the  year  15  14,  on  Tuesday  before  Rogation-Day-Week 
[May  16],  at  two  o'clock  towards  night."  (See  about  the  date  of  death, 
under  "Melancholy,"  No.  70  of  this  catalogue.) 

1 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


d  DURER'S  BROTHERS. 

/.  Hans  Diirer,  not,  however,  the  second  youngest  of  the  Diirer  chil- 
dren, so  often  mentioned  in  Albert's  biography,  but  an  elder  brother,  by 
trade  probably  a  tailor  (Thausing,  I,  pp.  49,  50,  2d  ed.).  Photograph 
from  the  painting  dated  1500  in  the  gallery  (Pinakothek)  at  Munich. 
There  is  also  a  lithograph  of  this  picture  by  Strixner. 

2.  Andrew  Diirer,  goldsmith,  born  1 484  (Thausing,  I,  pp.  51,  5  2,  2d  ed.). 
Above  is  written,  after  the  date,  15  14,  and  the  monogram:  "Thus  was 
Endres  Durer  formed,  when  he  was  thirty  years  old."  Photograph  from 
a  drawing  by  Durer  in  the  Albertina  at  Vienna.  Another  drawing, 
of  a  man  seen  in  less  than  profile,  also  dated  15 14,  and  also  in  the 
Albertina,  is  declared  by  Thausing  (II,  p.  67,  2d  ed.)  to  be  a  second 
portrait  of  Andrew  Diirer,  and  to  have  been  utilized  for  the  man  seen 
in  profile  on  the  left  in  Diirer's  etching,  "The  Man  in  Despair"  (No.  85 
of  this  catalogue).  Ephrussi,  however,  who  reproduces  the  drawing 
(p.  177),  controverts  this  opinion. 

The  elder  Diirer  had  eighteen  children,  but  of  these  only  two,  besides  Albert, 
were  living  in  the  year  1524,  when  the  latter  compiled  his  family  chronicle. 
They  were  Andrew,  mentioned  above,  and  Hans,  the  second  youngest,  born 
1490,  painter  and  pupil  of  his  brother.  Three  of  the  boys  had  been  given  the 
name  of  Hans.  The  full  list  of  names,  with  dates  of  birth,  as  noted  by  their 
father  and  handed  down  to  posterity  by  Albert,  can  be  found  in  Lange  and 
Fuhse,  "  Diirer's  Schriftlicher  Nachlass,"  pp.  4-7.  Of  none  of  them,  however, 
are  portraits  known  to  exist,  except  of  Albert,  the  celebrated  painter;  Hans,  the 
supposed  tailor;  and  Andrew,  the  goldsmith. 

e  ALBERT  DURER. 

/.  1484.  Photograph  from  the  drawing  by  Durer  in  the  Albertina 
at  Vienna.  The  inscription  reads  as  follows  :  "  This  I  drew  from  myself 
out  of  a  looking  glass  in  the  1484  year,  when  I  was  still  a  child. 
Albrecht  Diirer."  As  Diirer  was  born  in  the  year  147 1,  it  follows 
that  he  was  then  thirteen  years  old. 

li 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


2.  As  a  youth.  Reduced  reproduction  of  the  drawing  by  Diirer,  in 
the  University  Library  at  Erlangen.  The  inscription,  "  Martin  Schon 
Contrefeit,"  and  the  date,  1465,  are  later  additions.  A  full  size  repro- 
duction accompanies  the  article  by  W.  von  Seidlitz  (Jahrb.  der  K.  preuss. 
Kunstsammlungen,  XV,  pp.  23-26),  in  which  attention  was  called  to  this 
portrait  for  the  first  time.  (On  the  same  mount  are  grouped  together 
reduced  reproductions  of  the  four  earliest  known  portraits  of  Diirer  by 
himself.    Compare  Nos.  i,  3,  and  4.) 

3.  1493.  Engraver-etching,  by  Louis  Schulz,  from  the  painting  by 
Diirer  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Eugen  Felix,  of  Leipsic.  Above  is 
written:  "  1493.  My  affairs  go,  as  it  stands  above,"  i.  e.,  according  to 
the  will  of  heaven.  An  old  copy  is  in  the  Museum  at  Leipsic.  It  was 
this  copy  on  which  Goethe  based  his  enthusiastic  description  in  his 
"Annals"  for  1805.  For  Thausing's  speculations  regarding  the  sup- 
posed connection  of  this  picture  with  Diirer's  marriage  with  Agnes  Frey, 
in  the  year  1494,  see  his  first  volume,  pp.  131-134,  2d  ed. 

4.  1498.  Photograph  from  the  painting  by  Diirer,  in  the  gallery  of 
the  Prado,  at  Madrid.  The  inscription  reads:  "1498.  I  painted  this 
from  my  figure,  when  I  was  six-and-twenty  years  old,"  followed  by  the 
monogram.  A  duplicate,  in  the  gallery  of  the  Ufifizi  at  Florence,  is, 
according  to  Thausing  (I,  p.  187,  2d  ed.),  a  copy. 

5.  1498.  Etching  by  Wenzeslas  Hollar,  executed  in  the  year  1645, 
from  a  similar  picture,  which  was  at  the  time  in  the  collection  of  the 
Earl  of  Arundel.  The  position  is  reversed,  and  the  inscription,  identical 
as  to  matter,  stands  near  the  lower  margin,  whereas  in  No.  4  it  is  placed 
under  the  window,  with  the  date  and  monogram. 

6.  1504,  1505  ?  Photograph  from  the  best-known  of  Diirer's  por- 
traits of  himself,  in  the  gallery  (Pinakothek)  at  Munich.  According  to 
Thausing  (II,  pp.  97-98,  2d  ed.),  "the  picture  is  in  very  bad  condition 
to-day.  Little  is  left  of  its  original  coloring,  which,  without  a  doubt, 
was  quite  bright  and  clear.  Repainting  and  brown  varnish  have  given 
it  the  look  of  a  picture  by  a  late  artist  of  the  Netherlands,  who  is  in 

lii 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


search  of  chiaroscuro.  Through  the  black  repainting  of  the  background, 
there  may  still  be  seen,  on  the  right,  traces  of  a  tablet  with  curved 
outlines,  and  formerly  light  in  color,  with  an  inscription.  The  present 
inscription,  as  well  as  the  monogram  and  the  date,  1500,  are  falsifications, 
and  have  been  painted  in  powdered  gold.  (The  inscription  reads : 
'  Albertus  Durerus  Noricus  ipsum  me  propriis  hie  effingebam  coloribus 
aetatis  anno  XXVIII.')  The  year  1500  ....  is  altogether  improbable 
for  this  portrait  of  Diirer  by  himself.  This  is  shown  by  comparison  with 
all  his  other  portraits  and  paintings  in  general,  but  more  especially  with 
the  far  more  youthful  portrait  of  1498,  also  by  himself,  in  Madrid.  In 
my  opinion  the  picture  cannot  have  originated  before  1503,  and  not 
after  1509, — perhaps  1504  or  1505,  by  way  of  mere  suggestion." 

7.  Engraving  by  Frangois  Forster,  executed  in  1822,  from  the  paint- 
ing in  Munich  (see  No.  6).  Dedication  proof,  with  only  the  engraver's 
name,  inscribed  to  "  Mr.  MuUer." 

8.  Engraving  by  M.  Steinla.  The  original  is  not  known.  Nagler,  in 
the  list  of  Steinla's  works,  "  Lexicon,"  XVII,  p.  207,  merely  says : 
"  Albrecht  Diirer,  ^  view,  different  from  the  picture  in  Munich."  The 
probability  is  that  it  is  a  free  adaptation  of  this  picture. 

9  and  10.  1 508-11.  Diirer  introduced  himself  into  his  three  most 
celebrated  pictures, —  "The  Feast  of  the  Rosary,"  painted  for  the  German 
merchants  of  Venice  in  the  year  1506;  "  The  Assumption  of  the  Virgin," 
painted  for  Jacob  Heller,  finished  1509;  and  "The  Trinity,"  or  "All 
Saints"  picture,  painted  for  Matthew  Landauer,  and  dated  151 1.  An 
outline  of  "The  Feast  of  the  Rosary  "  is  given  by  Thausing  (I,  opp.  p.  352, 
2d  ed.).  Diirer,  who  stands  in  the  middle  ground,  on  the  right,  with 
his  friend  Pirkheimer  behind  him,  holds  in  his  hand  a  large  sheet  of 
paper,  on  which  is  written :  "  Exegit  qvinqvemestri  spatio  Albertvs 
Dvrer  Germanvs  MDVL,"  and  the  monogram.  Of  the  two  other  figures 
illustrations  are  here  shown.  No.  9  is  a  facsimile  from  one  of  Diirer's 
studies  for  "  The  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,"  in  the  Print  Cabinet  at  Berlin 
(Lippmann,  No.  23).    On  the  tablet  which  Diirer  holds  is  his  mono- 

liii 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

gram,  and  below  it  the  date,  1508,  and  the  words:  "  Er  selber,"  i.  e., 
"He  himself."  On  No.  10,  an  engraving  by  Lucas  Kilian  (1579-1637), 
known  as  "  Diirer's  Temple  of  Honor,"  the  figure  from  the  "Assump- 
tion" is  given  on  the  left,  while  that  from  the  "All  Saints"  picture 
stands  on  the  right,  both  as  they  appear  in  the  finished  pictures,  except 
that  they  do  not  hold  the  tablets  with  the  inscriptions.  The  inscription 
on  the  "Assumption"  reads:  "  Albertvs  Dvrer  Alemanvs  faciebat  post 
virginis  partvm  1509;"  that  on  the  "All  Saints"  picture:  "Albertvs 
Dvrer  Noricvs  Faciebat  Anno  a  Virginis  Partv  151 1."  An  etching  by 
V.  Jasper  of  the  last  named  figure  is  also  given  by  Thausing,  as  a  frontis- 
piece to  his  second  volume. 

//.  1520.  From  a  portrait  painted  from  life  at  Antwerp,  in  the  year 
1 520,  by  Thomas  Vincidor,  of  Bologna.  Engraved  by  Andr.  Stock,  1629. 
Thomas  Vincidor,  or  Tommaso  Vincidore,  was  a  pupil  of  Raphael,  who 
had  come  to  the  Netherlands  with  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Pope 
Leo  X,  to  superintend  the  weaving  of  the  tapestries  from  the  cartoons 
of  Raphael  and  his  pupils.  It  was  from  him  that  Diirer  first  learned  of 
the  death  of  Raphael.  The  two  seem  to  have  become  quite  intimate, 
for  they  exchanged  presents,  and  Diirer  gave  to  Tommaso  a  complete 
set  of  his  prints,  to  be  sent  to  Rome  to  another  painter,  who  was  to  send 
in  return  Raphael's  works,  meaning,  without  doubt,  Marcantonio's  en- 
gravings after  Raphael  (Thausing,  II,  p.  187,  2d  ed.).  It  is  not  known 
what  has  become  of  the  original. 

12.  "  Albert  Durer  G"."","  i.  e.,  "  engraver,"  and  therefore  holding  a  cop- 
per plate  and  a  burin.  Engraved  by  Edelinck.  (R.-D.,  VII,  p.  253,  No. 
193,  3d  St.)  Thausing  suggests  that  this  "  not  very  exact  "  portrait  may 
be  based  on  the  one  painted  by  Tommaso  Vincidore,  just  described 
(No.  II). 

13.  A  slight  sketch  made  by  Diirer  during  his  last  illness,  and  offering 
quite  a  pathetic  interest  from  the  words  written  upon  it  by  the  patient : 
"  Where  the  yellow  spot  is  and  [I]  point  with  the  finger  to  it,  there  it 
hurts  me."    It  is  evident  that  the  drawing  was  sent  to  some  physician 

liv 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

for  his  advice.  (See  Cust,  p.  80,  for  the  opinion  of  a  modern  physician, 
Dr.  Norman  Moore,  on  the  cause  of  Diirer's  death,  based  on  this  drawing 
and  on  the  symptoms,  as  described  by  the  artist  himself.)  Heliotype  from 
the  drawing,  sHghtly  washed  with  color,  by  Diirer,  in  the  Kunsthalle  at 
Bremen.    (Lippmann,  No.  130.) 

14.  At  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  Woodcut,  B  156,  published  after 
Diirer's  death.  Above  is  the  legend  :  "  Albrecht  Diirer  portrayed  at  the 
age  of  his  LVL  year."  Below  twenty-four  lines  of  rhymes,  in  three  col- 
umns of  eight  lines  each.  In  the  upper  left  corner  is  Diirer's  coat-of- 
arms,  without  date  or  motiogram.  According  to  Bartsch  there  are  three 
states  of  this  cut.  The  impression  exhibited  is  of  the  second  state.  As 
Diirer  was  born  May  21,  1471,  and  died  April  6,  1528,  the  age  given 
on  the  cut  would  place  the  design  at  least  into  the  year  1527.  Thausing, 
however,  is  of  opinion  that  the  drawing  was  made  after  Diirer's  death, 
possibly  with  the  aid  of  a  death  mask  (II,  p.  295,  2d  ed.).  That  it  was 
not  published  until  after  his  death  is  apparent  from  the  verses,  and  the 
fact  that  the  date  of  the  artist's  demise  is  wrongly  given, —  May  6,  1528, 
instead  of  April  6, —  would  seem  to  argue  still  further  that  the  cut  must 
have  been  issued  some  time  after  the  event,  for  certainly  such  a  mistake 
could  not  have  been  made  so  long  as  its  memory  was  still  fresh  in  the 
minds  of  Diirer's  friends. 

15.  A  very  close  recutting  (Bartsch's  Copy  A)  of  the  third  state  of  the 
woodcut  described  under  No.  14,  with  the  date  1527  and  Diirer's  mono- 
gram inserted  in  the  coat-of-arms.  This  is  a  very  good  example  of  the 
close  facsimiles  made  by  the  woodcutters  of  the  sixteenth  century,  show- 
ing that  they  must  have  understood  the  art  of  transferring  to  the  wood 
the  cut  to  be  reproduced. 

16.  At  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  Reversed  copy,  by  an  unknown  en- 
graver, of  an  etching  made  by  Melchior  Lorch  in  the  year  1550.  (See 
Bartsch,  IX,  p.  505,  No.  10.) 

17.  Same  as  the  preceding,  converted  into  a  chiaroscuro  by  the  ad- 
dition of  a  tint  block. 

Iv 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


18.  Process  reproduction  of  a  drawing  from  a  marble  statue  by  M.  J. 
Ezekiel,  an  American  sculptor  residing  at  Rome, —  one  of  a  series  of 
statues  of  artists,  all  executed  by  the  same  sculptor,  for  the  decoration 
of  the  Corcoran  Gallery  of  Art,  at  Washington. 

Another  portrait  of  Diirer  by  himself,  of  the  year  1492,  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  Imhoffs,  at  Nuremberg,  but  Thausing  (II,  p.  190,  2d  ed.)  is  of  opinion 
that  it  was  a  forgery.  Numerous  suggestions  have  been  made  as  to  likenesses 
of  Diirer  occurring  in  his  earlier  works.  Springer  sees  him  in  the  Adam  in  the 
"  Studies  for  Adam  and  Eve"  (No.  112  of  this  catalogue),  in  which  he  would 
detect  his  earliest  engraving.  He  has  also  been  discovered  in  the  young  man 
facing  full  front  in  "The  Five  Soldiers  and  a  Turk"  (No.  3  of  this  catalogue), 
and  even  in  "The  Prodigal"  (No.  5).  Springer  ("Diirer,"  p.  14)  sees  him  in 
a  drawing  of  two  horsemen,  in  the  cabinet  at  Munich,  and  Wustmann  points 
him  out  in  the  woodcut  which  represents  Celtes  presenting  his  edition  of 
Roswitha's  comedies  to  Frederic  the  Wise.  (Zeitschrift  f.  b.  Kunst,  XXII,  p. 
193.)  Finally,  it  has  been  claimed  that  his  representations  of  Christ  are  all 
modeled  on  his  own  likeness.  The  Emperor  Maximihan  I  is  said  to  have 
complained  that  every  one  who  could  draw  a  crooked  nose  thought  he  could 
draw  his  portrait.  So  Diirer  might  perhaps  complain  that  every  long-headed 
young  man  with  flowing  curls  was  supposed  to  be  he.  As  to  the  shape  of  Durer's 
head,  and  as  to  his  countenance  in  general,  the  portraits  here  brought  together, 
mostly  by  his  own  hand,  give  curious  evidence.  Did  his  head  shrink,  and 
change,  from  an  almost  abnormally  long  one  to  a  round  one  ?  Or  did  he 
flatter  himself  in  his  earher  portraits  ?  Great  and  good  man  that  he  undoubt- 
edly was,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  even  he  was  tainted,  however  mildly,  by  the 
leading  vice  of  his  age, —  vanity  (see  Introduction,  p.  xx),  and,  considering  the 
praise  showered  upon  him  during  his  Ufetime,  the  fact  that  he  was  not  utterly 
spoiled  shows  his  goodness  still  more  markedly.  It  is  quite  likely,  therefore,  that 
he  did  flatter  himself.  Did  he,  possibly,  not  set  his  teeth,  when  he  painted  or 
drew  his  portrait,  thus  lengthening  the  lower  part  of  his  face  ?  But  even  this 
assumption  does  not  entirely  remove  the  difficulties  which  stand  in  the  way  of 
reconcihng  these  different  portraits.  The  two  earliest  drawings  of  himself  (Nos. 
•  I  and  2),  as  a  boy  and  as  a  youth,  show  a  very  long  head,  and  it  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  he  was  even  then  trying  to  flatter  himself.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  portrait  of  1493  (No.  3),  which  is  of  all  his  portraits  the  most  frank,  the 
most  ingenuous,  certainly  shows  a  somewhat  rounder  head  than  either  those 
which  precede  it  or  the  one  which  immediately  follows,  of  the  year  1498,  in 
which  we  see  him  arrayed  in  the  garb  of  a  "  dandy  "  of  his  day  (No.  4).  But 
the  palm  is  carried  off  in  this  respect  by  the  celebrated  Munich  portrait  (No.  6); 

Ivi 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


and  this  again  is  flatly  contradicted  by  the  only  portrait  which  we  have  of  him, 
painted  from  life  by  another  artist, —  that  by  Tommaso  Vincidore,  executed  in 
Antwerp,  in  1520.  The  later  portraits,  such  as  the  woodcut  published  after 
Diirer's  death  (No.  14),  are  quite  in  harmony  with  this  of  the  year  1526,  but 
in  the  little  sketch  sent  to  the  physician  (No.  13)  Diirer  himself  again  reverts  to 
an  indication  of  his  earlier  looks.  Did  he  possibly  lose  his  teeth  comparatively 
young  ?  That  would  certainly  affect  the  lower  part  of  the  face  very  decidedly, 
and  quite  in  a  contrary  sense  to  the  suggested  artificial  lengthening  in  earlier 
days. 

f  DURER'S  WIFE,  Agnes  Frey. 

/.  Inscribed  "  Main  Agnes,"  i.  e.,  "  My  Agnes,"  followed  by  the 
monogram,  which,  judging  from  the  shape,  would,  however,  seem  to  be 
a  later  addition.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  earliest  drawing  extant  of 
the  young  wife  of  Albert.  It  shows  her  in  her  kitchen  costume,  the 
head  supported  on  the  right  hand,  as  if  she  had  fallen  asleep  from  sheer 
exhaustion  by  her  housework.  Thausing  (I,  p.  142,  2d  ed.)  supposes  it 
to  be  a  joke  by  the  young  husband.  Photograph  from  Diirer's  drawing 
in  the  Albertina,  at  Vienna. 

2.  Facsimile  of  a  drawing  by  Diirer  in  the  Kunsthalle  at  Bremen 
(Lippmann,  No.  113).  Thausing  (I,  p.  142,  2d  ed.)  mentions  such  a 
drawing,  but  says  of  it  that  it  presents  "  still  the  same  narrow  girl-face 
with  the  straight  nose"  as  No.  i.  Ephrussi,  who  reproduces  the  draw- 
ing under  the  title  "Portrait  d' Agnes  Frey,"  says  (p.  35)  that  it  shows 
her  "somewhat  more  aged"  and  "impressed  by  a  precocious  gravity," 
while  Lippmann  describes  it  as  the  portrait  of  a  woman  with  "  lean,  sickly 
look,"  and  suggests  that  it  may  be  the  sister  of  Agnes,  Catherine. 

3.  1500.  Photograph  from  a  drawing  in  colors  by  Diirer,  in  the 
Ambrosiana,  at  Milan.  There  is  no  date,  but  the  year  1500  is  probable, 
in  view  of  the  drawing  described  under  No.  5.  Agnes  Diirer  here 
appears,  according  to  Thausing  (I,  p.  143,  2d  ed.),  "as  the  tidy,  chaste 
housewife,  with  head  and  eyes  lowered,  in  white  cap  and  apron,  in  green, 
richly  trimmed  dress,  over  it  a  red  shoulder  cloth,  trimmed  with  black,  at 
the  belt  the  well-filled  leather  pouch,  in  the  hand  a  large  handkerchief." 

8  Ivii 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


4.  1500.  According  to  Thausing  (I,  p.  143,  2d  ed.),  the  drawing 
just  described  served  Diirer  as  a  model  for  one  of  the  costume  drawings, 
in  color,  in  the  Albertina,  at  Vienna.  The  wood-engraving  in  colors 
here  shown,  by  F.  W.  Bader,  of  Vienna,  from  the  drawing  as  stated, 
makes  it  evident  that  the  Milan  and  the  Vienna  drawings  are  almost 
identical.  Above  is  written:  "Thus  they  dress  in  the  houses,  Nurem- 
berg."   Date  assumed,  as  under  No.  3. 

5.  1500.  Another  of  Diirer's  costume  studies  in  the  Albertina,  for 
which  his  wife  is  supposed  to  have  served  him  as  a  model.  Above  is 
written:  "Think  of  me  in  your  kingdom,  1500.  Thus  they  go  to  church 
at  Nuremberg."  Wood-engraving  in  colors,  by  F.  W.  Bader,  of  Vienna, 
from  the  drawing  as  stated. 

6.  1500.  A  third  costume  study,  for  which  again  Agnes  Diirer  is 
supposed  to  have  served  as  a  model.  Original  in  the  Albertina.  The 
inscription  on  it  reads :  "  Thus  the  women  of  Nuremberg  go  to  the 
dance,  1500."  Wood-engraving  in  colors,  by  F.  W.  Bader,  of  Vienna, 
from  the  drawing,  as  stated. 

7.  1504.  Above,  under  the  date,  Diirer's  monogram  and  "  Albrecht 
Diirerin."  This  silver-point  drawing  shows  Agnes  Diirer,  according  to 
Thausing  (I,  p.  144,  2d  ed.),  "  in  full  development  and  in  the  flower  of  her 
beauty."  Facsimile  of  the  drawing  by  Diirer,  in  the  collection  of  Dr. 
Blasius,  at  Brunswick.    (Lippmann,  No.  133.) 

8.  1 52 1.  In  the  Netherlands  Diirer  bought  various  pieces  of  finery 
for  his  wife,  among  others,  in  Bergen-op-Zoom,  on  December  3,  1520,  "  a 
Netherlandish  thin  kerchief  for  the  head."  In  this  head-dress,  well 
known  from  pictures  of  the  Flemish  school,  according  to  Thausing 
(II,  pp.  191,  192,  2d  ed.),  Diirer  portrayed  his  wife,  upon  his  return  to 
Antwerp.  The  facsimile  here  shown  is  from  the  original  in  the  Print 
Cabinet,  at  Berlin.  (Lippmann,  No.  64.)  The  inscription  reads  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Albrecht  Diirer  drew  this  from  his  wife  at  Antwerp  in  the  Neth- 
erlandish dress  in  the  year  1521,  when  they  had  been  married  XXVII 
years." 

Iviii 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


9,  1 52 1.  Photograph  from  a  leaf  from  the  sketch-book  used  by  Diirer 
during  his  journey  to  and  from  the  Netherlands,  original  in  the  Court 
Library,  at  Vienna.  On  the  right  is  Agnes  Diirer,  over  whose  head  is 
written:  "On  the  Rhine,  my  wife,  near  Boppart."  Above  the  head  of 
the  young  girl  on  the  left  are  the  words :  "  Kdlnisch  gepent,"  i.  e.,  "  Co- 
logne binding,"  showing  the  way  in  which  the  girls  at  Cologne  used  to 
bind  up  their  hair.  The  drawing  was  made  on  the  return  journey.  It  is 
the  last  portrait  we  have  of  Diirer's  "aged  wife"  (Thausing,  II,  pp.  206, 
207,  2d  ed.). 

Mention  is  made  also  of  a  medallion  likeness  of  Agnes  by  her  husband,  but,  like 
all  the  other  things  of  this  kind,  it  is  now  looked  upon  as  a  falsification  (Thau- 
sing,  II,  p.  51,  2d  ed.).  Diirer's  wife,  on  the  testimony  of  the  undoubtedly 
prejudiced,  aged,  gouty,  and  therefore  testy  Pirkheimer,  has  for  centuries  en- 
joyed the  reputation  of  being  a  sixteenth-century  Xantippe,  who,  if  she  did  not 
directly  kill  her  husband,  was  at  least  the  cause  of  hastening  his  death,  and  who 
certainly  led  him  a  sad  Hfe,  by  reason  of  her  cupidity  and  her  acrimony.  Later 
writers,  and  more  especially  Thausing,  have  gone  to  the  other  extreme,  and  have 
made  of  her,  if  not  an  angel,  at  least  a  most  exemplary,  faultless  housewife,  and 
besides  this  spiritual  beauty,  they  have  claimed  for  her  also  fleshly  beauty.  Her 
youthful  portraits  do  show  that  she  was  not  uncomely,  but  she  can  hardly  be 
called  a  beauty.  She  simply  had  the  attractiveness  of  all  well-developed, 
healthy  female  bodies.  As  to  her  spiritual  beauty,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the 
later  portraits  bequeathed  to  posterity  by  her  husband  will  not  help  to  substan- 
tiate all  the  claims  advanced  in  her  favor  by  her  latter-day  advocates.  Even 
the  evidently  flattered  drawing  "  in  the  Netherlandish  dress  "  reveals  the  coun- 
tenance of  a  woman  who  knows  her  mind,  which,  to  be  sure,  is  not  a  fault,  if  the 
mind  be  all  right.  But  in  the  portrait  drawn  on  the  Rhine  there  is  a  sullen, — 
one  is  tempted  to  say  a  somewhat  malignant, —  expression,  which  makes  us 
sigh  for  poor  Albert.  Even  if  not  a  Xantippe,  this  woman  cannot  have  been  a 
fit  companion  for  the  dreamy,  speculative,  ardent  spirit  which  dwelt  in  the  body 
of  her  husband. 

g  DURER'S  COAT-OF-ARMS. 

Reduced  reproduction  of  the  woodcut,  B  160,  dated  1523  (from 
Cust,  p.  9).  "In  the  year  1523,"  writes  Thausing  (II,  p.  269,  2d  ed.), 
"  Diirer  devoted  a  nice  large  woodcut  to  his  own  coat-of-arms,  with  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


open  door  on  the  tri-mountain  ('  Dreiberg  ')  surmounted  by  the  torso  of 
a  negro.  It  is  the  same  coat  which  was  used  already  by  his  father,  who 
may  even  have  brought  it  with  him  from  his  Hungarian  home,  for  the 
'  Dreiberg  '  is  an  attribute  frequently  occurring  in  Hungarian  coats."  The 
door  on  the  escutcheon  involves  a  pun,  being  an  allusion  to  Diirer,  or 
Thiirer,  as  the  name  may  also  be  written,  the  English  equivalent  of 
which  would  be  "Doorer." 

A  slight  drawing  of  Diirer's  coat-of-arms  is  in  the  British  Museum.  (Lippmann, 
No.  264.)  The  family  coat-of-arms,  that  is  to  say,  the  Diirer  coat  allied  to  an- 
other, which  latter  is  supposed  to  be  that  of  Diirer's  mother,  is  painted  on  the 
back  of  the  portrait  of  Albert  Diirer,  the  elder,  by  his  son,  in  the  gallery  of  the 
Uffizi,  at  Florence.    For  a  full  description  see  Thausing,  I,  p.  45,  2d  ed. 

h  DURER'S  HOUSE  IN  NUREMBERG. 

Etching  by  J.  C.  Erhard,  1 8 16,  from  a  drawing  made  by  J.  A.  Klein, 
in  the  year  181 5.  This  is  the  house  in  the  Zistelgasse,  near  the  Thier- 
gartner  Gate,  bought  by  Diirer  on  June  14,  1509,  formerly  owned  by 
Bernhard  Walther,  the  astronomer,  and  still  known  as  the  "  Diirer 
House"  (Thausing,  I,  p.  150,  2d  ed.). 

The  house  which  the  elder  Diirer  bought  on  May  12,  1475,  which  his 

celebrated  son  spent  his  childhood  and  youth,  is  also  still  standing.  It  was 
known  in  the  sixteenth  century  as  the  corner  house  of  the  goldsmith,  Peter 
Kraft,  "  unter  der  Vesten,"  /'.  <f.,  below  the  castle,  to-day  called  "  Burgstrasse,"  or 
Castle  Street,  and  is  now,  according  to  Thausing  (I,  p.  42,  2d  ed.),  numbered  934. 

1  DURER'S  TOMB. 

Drawn  and  etched  by  Christ.  Rosee.  Thausing  writes  (II,  pp.  295- 
296,  2d  ed.) :  "  Durer  died  in  Passion  Week,  April  6,  1528,  in  his 
fifty-seventh  year,  for  the  completion  of  which  he  was  still  wanting  forty- 
four  days.  His  corpse  was  interred  in  the  tomb  of  the  Frey  family,  in 
St.  John's  cemetery.    The  large  tombstone,  laid  down  flat,  in  accordance 

Ix 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


with  local  custom,  is  provided  at  its  head  with  a  rising  desk,  the  simple 
bronze  tablet  on  which  bears  the  following  classical  epitaph  by  Pirk- 
heimer : 

ME.  AL.  DV. 
QVICQVID  ALBERT!  DVRERI  MORTALE 
FVIT,  SVB  HOC  CONDITVR  TVMVLO. 
EMIGRAVIT  VIIL  IDVS  APRILIS 
MDXXVIII. 

(To  the  memory  of  Albert  Diirer.  What  of  Albert  Diirer  was  mortal, 
is  laid  away  beneath  this  tumulus.  He  emigrated  April  6,  1528.)  Under 
this  the  monogram  of  Diirer.  The  mark  which  is  celebrated  the  world 
over  was  not  sufficient,  however,  to  shield  Diirer's  grave  from  desecration 
in  his  own  home.  The  common  custom  that  the  tomb  of  a  family  should 
be  '  cleared  out '  after  its  extinction,  and  made  over  to  the  hospital  for 
further  utilization,  was  also  carried  out  in  this  case  without  any  consider- 
ation whatever.  But  the  family  of  the  Freys  came  to  extinction  already 
with  Diirer's  wife  Agnes  and  her  sister  Catherine,  who  also  was  childless. 
Hence  the  seventeenth  century  buried  in  this  grave  six  beneficiaries,  one 
after  the  other.  Then  Joachim  von  Sandrart  bought  the  tomb,  provided 
it  in  the  year  1681  with  his  bombastic  inscriptions  in  praise  of  Diirer, 
and  left  it  to  the  Academy  which  he  had  organized  at  Nuremberg.  This 
latter  again  devoted  it  to  the  burial  of  such  foreign  artists  as  had  no  tomb 
of  their  own.  From  these  facts  it  is  sufficiently  evident  that  the  skull 
which  was  picked  up  in  this  tomb,  among  a  number  of  others,  in  the 
year  181 1,  and  which  is  still  preserved  in  Nuremberg  as  the  skull  of 
Diirer,  has  no  claim  whatever  to  this  name." 


Ixi 


DURER'S 
ENGRAVINGS,  DRY-POINTS, 
AND  ETCHINGS. 


DURER^S  ENGRAVINGS,  DRY-POINTS, 


AND  ETCHINGS. 

I  THE  RAVISHER— B  92;  H  893;  R  i;  M  i.— Without 

EITHER  MARK  OR  DATE. 

a.  Very  vigorous  impression,  on  bull's-head  paper.  Intensely  black 
ink,  very  glossy  in  the  heavy  lines,  clean  wiped. 

b.  HeHotype  reproduction  of  the  copy  which  Bartsch  describes  as 
"trompeuse,"  and  which  is,  indeed,  misleading  at  first  sight.  On 
closer  inspection  it  is  found,  however,  to  differ  in  many  details.  To 
the  sign  for  the  detection  of  the  copy  given  by  Bartsch  may  be  added 
the  following:  —  In  the  original  the  little  bush  close  to  the  left  shoulder 
of  the  man  is  fairly  well  separated  from  it,  while  in  the  copy  it  almost 
touches  it ;  the  shading  of  the  left  thigh  of  the  man  in  the  original 
consists  of  only  one  system  of  lines,  running  the  long  way  of  the  limb, 
while  in  the  copy  there  is  a  second  system  of  lines  laid  across  the  first. 

The  impressions  from  this  plate  in  the  Print  Room  of  the  British  Museum, 
London,  the  Departement  des  Estampes  at  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  Paris, 
and  the  Royal  Print  Cabinets  at  Dresden  and  Berlin,  are  all  similar  to  a,  i.  e., 
printed  in  strong  black  ink,  clean  wiped. 

Very  primitive  handling,  especially  in  the  flesh  of  the  woman,  which  is 
modeled  with  little  scratches  ("  feathery ").  In  this  respect  the  copy  also 
diff"ers,  showing  that  it  is  by  an  at  least  somewhat  later  engraver,  who  could 
not  force  himself  to  be  as  primitive  as  his  original.  Bartsch  and  Heller  think 
that  the  design  is  copied  from  some  older  master.  Thausing  doubts  its  being 
by  Diirer,  as  the  style  "  points  to  a  period  before  that  in  which  Durer  began 
to  work."    Harck  says  that  it  agrees  in  workmanship  with  "  The  Great 


9 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


Courier,"  and  that,  as  this  is  universally  rejected,  the  two  must  fall  together. 
If  this  were  so,  however,  the  "  Five  Footsoldiers  and  a  Mounted  Turk,"  No.  3 
of  this  catalogue,  would  also  have  to  be  abandoned,  despite  the  monogram, 
for  tlie  "Footsoldiers"  is  very  similar  to  "The  Ravisher"  in  treatment, 
especially  in  the  modeling  of  the  face  of  one  of  the  figures,  which  is  quite 
"  feathery."    Lehrs,  discussing  Harck's  theories,  upholds  their  authenticity. 

Retberg  assigns  it  to  before  1495 ;  Heller,  to  the  period  between  i486 
and  1500;  Middleton  says  of  it,  "  probably  executed  in  1494."  It  certainly  is, 
among  all  the  plates  ascribed  to  Diirer,  the  most  primitive  in  design  as  well 
as  in  execution,  and,  if  really  by  Durer,  may  have  been  engraved  before  his 
first  journey, —  that  is  to  say,  before  or  in  the  year  1490.  (See  Introduction,  p. 
XX.    For  "The  Great  Courier"  see  No.  103  of  this  catalogue.) 

Bartsch  calls  this  engraving  "  Le  Violent";  Heller,  "The  Woman  defending 
herself  against  the  Attacks  of  a  Man  " ;  Hausmann,  "  The  Man  using  Violence  " 
(Der  Gewaltthatige) ;  Retberg,  "Death,  the  violent  old  Man"  (Der  Tod,  ge- 
waltsame  Greis) ;  Rosenberg,  on  the  strength  of  an  old  inscription  in  the 
scroll  above  the  figures,  declares  the  subject  to  be  an  allegory  of  "Envy"; 
Heller  sees  in  it  merely  the  representation  of  an  attempt  of  a  wicked  old  man 
upon  an  unwilling  woman,  but  the  explanation  most  generally  accepted  is  that 
given  by  Thausing  (I,  p.  205) :  "  It  is  the  struggle  for  existence.  Death,  repre- 
sented as  a  savage, —  a  dried-up  hollow-eyed  gray-beard, —  is  trying  to  offer 
violence  to  a  young  [?]  girl,  in  burgher  costume,  who  represents  life."  (Com- 
pare the  figure  of  Death  in  the  "  Four  Riders  of  the  Apocalypse  "  in  Diirer's 
woodcut  series,  illustrating  the  Apocalypse,  B  60-75  5  see  also  Frimmel,  p.  26.) 
AUihn,  on  the  other  hand,  p.  50,  connects  the  subject  with  the  belief  in  witch- 
craft, and  sees  in  the  male  figure  an  incubus,  a  demon  in  the  assumed  shape  of 
a  naked  man,  seeking  the  ruin  of  a  human  being. 

2  THE  HOLY  FAMILY  WITH  THE  DRAGON-FLY.— 

B  44 ;  H  643;  R  3  ;  M  3. —  Monogram  with  a  pointed 

A  AND  A  SMALL  GOTHIC  d  WITHIN  IT,  THE  MOST  PRIMI- 
TIVE  MONOGRAM  TO   BE   FOUND  ON   DURER's  PRINTS. 

Good  impression,  but  not  of  the  very  earliest,  the  right  cheek  of  the 
Virgin  already  somewhat  defective  from  the  wearing  of  the  delicate  work. 
Rather  brownish  ink,  clean  wiped. 

In  the  best  early  impressions,  such  as  that  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  and 
one  of  those  in  the  Berlin  Cabinet,  the  face  is  still  intact,  and  they  are  printed 

2 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


in  pure  black  ink,  quite  clean  wiped.  Such  tinting  as  may  appear  in  these  early 
impressions  is  entirely  accidental.  No  impressions  without  the  graver  slip  over 
the  head  of  the  Virgin  seem  to  be  known. 

Compared  with  "  The  Ravisher,"  this  plate  shows  technical  progress,  and  it 
is  not  out  of  harmony  with  the  plates  which  follow.  In  the  attractiveness  and 
sweetness  of  the  design,  it  is,  however,  quite  suige;ieris Bimong  Diirer's  early  work, 
and  it  is  thus  brought  into  companionship  with  "The  Virgin  and  Child  with  the 
Monkey  "(No.  13),  although  this  latter  shows  great  advance  in  workmanship, 
Thausing  (I,  p.  206)  supposes  it  to  be  a  copy  from  Wolgemut.  Retberg  assigns  it 
to  before  1495;  Heller,  to  the  period  between  i486  and  1500;  Von  Eye  thinks  it 
must  have  been  done  during  Diirer's  apprenticeship,  and  under  the  influence  of 
Schongauer's  engravings.  In  the  character  of  the  face  of  the  Virgin  it  is  cer- 
tainly akin  to  some  of  Diirer's  early  woodcuts,  which  also  seem  to  betray  Schon- 
gauer's influence.  Thausing  says  of  it  (I,  p.  205):  "  The  oldest  known  engrav- 
ings undoubtedly  by  Diirer  are  '  The  Holy  Family  with  the  Locust '  and  '  The 
Offer  of  Love  '  [see  No.  4  of  this  catalogue].  Both  are  signed  with  his  usual  mon- 
ogram, and  cannot,  therefore,  have  been  engraved  before  1496."  The  shape  of 
the  monogram,  however,  points  to  a  somewhat  earlier  date.  The  A  as  here 
formed,  and  the  small  d  it  encloses,  are  only  found  on  very  early  drawings  by 
Diirer, —  the  "  Madonna  with  Angels,"  for  instance,  of  the  year  1485,  the 
Orpheus,"  dated  1494,  and  the  Christ  Child,  copied  from  Lorenzo  di  Credi,  dated 
1495.  (See  Introduction,  p.  xiii.)  In  both  these  cases,  however,  the  d  stands 
alongside  of  the  A.  The  Venetian  gondola  gives  evidence  in  favor  of  Diirer's 
disputed  first  journey  to  Venice  about  the  year  1494.  Middleton  places  this 
print  in  1494-95. 

Called  also  "  The  Holy  Family  with  the  Butterfly  "  or  "  with  the  Locust." 

3  FIVE  FOOTSOLDffiRS  AND  A  MOUNTED  TURK.— 

B  88 ;  H  981;  R  4;  M  7. —  Monogram,  consisting  of  a 

POINTED  A,  WITH  A  ROMAN  CAPITAL  D  INSIDE  OF  IT. 

Very  fine  impression,  in  black  glossy  ink,  clean  wiped,  but  a  trifle  too 
heavy  in  the  darks.  Slightly  abraded  on  right  (see  upper  feather  in  cap  of 
standing  man,  and  the  vessel).  Watermark,  apparently,  Hausmann,  No.  5. 

Work  still  quite  primitive,  especially  in  the  scratchy  or  "  feathery  "  modeling 
of  some  of  the  faces.  Fine  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  and  Berlin,  all  pure 
black  ink,  clean  wiped. 

Assigned  to  before  1495  by  Retberg,  to  between  i486  and  1500  by  Heller,  and 
to  about  1498  by  Thausing.    A  comparison  of  the  monogram,  the  A  of  which 


3 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 

is  still  quite  pointed,  with  the  monogram  on  No.  14,  shows  that  it  must  be  earlier 
than  1497. 

Called  also  "  The  Assembly  of  Warriors,"  "  The  Six  Warriors,"  "  William 
Tell,"  and  "  The  Robbers,"  the  latter  on  the  gratuitous  supposition  that  it  rep- 
resents Diirer  (the  man  seen  full  face)  fallen  into  the  hands  of  brigands.  It  is 
probably  only  a  study  of  costumes.  Notice  the  Scotch  plaid  pattern  on  the 
saddle-cloth  of  the  Turk. 


4  THE  OFFER  OF  LOVE  —  B  93  ;  H  891  ;  R  2  ;  M  8.—  Mon- 
ogram SIMILAR  TO  THAT  ON  NO.  3. 

a.  Very  clear  impression,  with  only  a  slight  imperfection  in  the  lower 
left  corner.  Pure  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  with  only  some  accidental 
smudging  in  the  deepest  blacks.    From  the  Balmanno  Collection. 

b.  From  the  badly  worn,  corroded,  and  retouched  plate. 

Very  fine  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin,  all  printed  in 
pure  black  ink,  clean  wiped. 

The  workmanship  is  free  and  unconstrained  rather  than  primitive,  quite  deli- 
cate, and  very  much  more  careful  in  the  flesh  than  the  preceding  plates.  The 
monogram  seems  a  trifle  more  primitive  than  that  of  No.  3,  but  the  workman- 
ship shows  a  decided  advance.  Retberg  places  this  plate  before  the  "  Holy 
Family  with  the  Dragon-fly,"  but  the  form  of  the  monogram,  in  which  a  Roman 
D  has  taken  the  place  of  the  Gothic  d,  argues  against  this  order  of  succession, 
even  without  the  evidence  to  be  drawn  from  the  greater  skill  in  execution. 
Heller  assigns  it  to  between  i486  and  1500,  and  Thausing  (I,  p.  205),  who  un- 
hesitatingly accepts  it  as  Diirer's,  to  a  date  not  earlier  than  1496.  Middleton 
advances  it  to  the  eighth  place  in  his  list,  while  to  "  The  Penance  of  St.  John 
Chrysostom,"  No.  7  of  this  catalogue,  he  gives  the  fourth.  This  sequence  is 
impossible,  however,  on  technical  grounds,  as  well  as  on  the  evidence  of  the 
monogram. 

Called  also  "  Judah  and  Tamar  "  (Genesis  xxxviii,  v.  16)  and  "  Berthold  Tucher 
and  Anna  Pfinzing  "  (in  allusion  to  an  old  Nuremberg  scandal ;  see  Heller,  p. 
483,  or  Allihn,  pp.  69-70).  At  present  a  more  general  explanation  obtains  than 
is  hinted  at  in  these  titles.  "  Old  age,  whether  man  or  woman,  purchasing  the 
affection  of  youth  with  gold,  was  a  common  subject  in  those  days  "  (Thausing, 
I,  p.  206 ;  Allihn,  p.  70).  G.  von  Quandt,  according  to  Nagler,  doubted  the 
authenticity  of  the  plate,  and  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  there  are  good 
reasons  for  doubting.    Compared  with  the  plates  which  precede  it,  it  is  abnor- 


4 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 

mally  skilful  and  delicate,  and  there  is  a  superior  quality  of  expression  in  the 
frivolous  pose  and  face  of  the  woman  and  in  the  face  of  the  old  man,  of  which 
Diirer  was  hardly  capable.  If  the  plate  really  should  be  his,  it  would,  more- 
over, be  the  only  one  among  his  undoubted  works  which  panders  to  a  vicious 
taste  under  the  guise  of  moralizing.  Although  Diirer  was  a  true  child  of  his 
period  (see  his  correspondence  with  Pirkheimer  and  some  of  his  rhymes),  his  art 
is  nevertheless  singularly  free  from  the  obscenity  and  the  grossness  which  make 
the  work  of  so  many  of  his  contemporaries  distasteful.  This  was  recognized 
even  at  the  time,  as  shown  by  the  words  of  Camerarius  quoted  by  Thausing 
(II,  p.  98). 


5  THE  PRODIGAL  SON.— B  28;  H  477;  R  5;  M  6.— Mono- 
gram, THE  A  BEGINNING  TO  SPREAD  SLIGHTLY  AT  THE  TOP,  A 
ROMAN  D  WITHIN  IT. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  some  of  the  perpendicular  scratches  still 
slightly  visible.    Pure  black  ink,  clean  wiped. 

b.  Good  impression,  after  the  slight  perpendicular  scratches  had  worn 
away  almost  entirely.  Brownish  ink,  clean  wiped.  From  the  Donnadieu 
Collection. 

c.  Modern  copy. 

The  earliest  impressions,  such  as  the  very  fine  one  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Bos- 
ton, and  the  equally  fine  ones  in  the  British  Museum,  London,  and  the  Berlin 
Cabinet,  very  perceptibly  show  quite  a  number  of  long  perpendicular  scratches 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  plate,  and  on  its  left  and  right  sides.  They  are  printed 
in  pure  black  ink,  and  are  absolutely  clean  wiped. 

The  workmanship  is  about  equal  to  No.  4  in  the  handling  or  management 
of  the  lines,  but  shows  increased  skill  in  the  mastery  of  the  burin. 

Assigned  by  Retberg  to  before  1495,  by  Heller  to  between  i486  and  1500, 
and  characterized  also  by  Thausing  as  very  early  work,  faulty  in  the  drawing 
of  the  figure. 

The  "  Prodigal "  himself  has  been  called  a  likeness  of  Diirer,  which  only 
shows  how  recklessly  such  guesses  are  put  forward.  The  background  has 
always  been  much  admired,  and  Vasari  says  of  it :  "  In  this  engraving  there  are 
huts  or  cabins  after  the  German  manner,  which  are  exceedingly  beautiful." 
There  is  a  study  for  this  engraving  in  the  British  Museum.  (Lippmann,  No. 
222.    Reproduced  also  by  Cust,  p.  26.) 


5 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


6  ST.  JEROME  IN  PENANCE.— B  6i ;  H  776;  R8;  M  5.— 
Monogram  of  the  form  which  henceforth  becomes 
usual,  i.  e.,  an  a,  spreading  at  the  top,  with  a  roman  d 

IN  IT. 

a.  Very  fine  impression.  Rather  warm  ink,  clean  wiped.  Water- 
mark, a  jug  similar  to  Hausmann,  No.  lo. 

b.  Good  delicate  impression.  Soft  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  There  is 
a  press  scratch  diagonally  across  the  mountains  in  the  distance  on  the 
right.  The  paper  shows  a  very  curious  watermark,  resembling  in  outline 
Hausmann,  No.  44. 

c.  Late  impression.  The  diagonal  scratch  across  the  mountains  has 
disappeared  again,  together  with  the  greater  part  of  the  mountains 
themselves. 

The  color  of  the  ink  used  in  printing  this  plate  varies  considerably, —  from  pure 
black  to  almost  brown.  The  impressions  in  pure  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  such  as 
those  in  the  cabinets  at  Paris  and  Berlin,  are  undoubtedly  the  earliest.  The 
press  scratch  noticed  under  b  seems  to  indicate  later  impressions.  It  is  seen 
also  in  the  impression  in  the  Gray  Collection  in  Boston,  in  fact,  there  are  two 
such  scratches  in  this  impression.  Undoubtedly  it  is  not  advisable  to  try  to 
make  "  states "  by  the  aid  of  press  scratches,  but  where  they  are  persistent 
(see  the  "  Nemesis"  No.  33),  they  may  be  utilized  in  determining  earliness  or 
lateness  of  impression.  As  noted  above,  under  c,  in  the  very  latest  impressions 
this  scratch  has  disappeared  again. 

Workmanship  very  simple,  but  skilful  and  rather  delicate. 

Retberg  places  the  engraving  before  1495;  Heller,  between  i486  and  1500; 
Hausmann,  in  the  years  immediately  following  the  [second]  Venetian  journey, 
which  would  make  it  about  1508.  The  monogram  decidedly  points  to  an  early 
date.  The  lion  has  a  certain  typical  resemblance  to  those  sketched  by  Diirer, 
according  to  Thausing  (I,  p.  112),  when  he  was  in  Venice  in  1494.  Cust  (p.  26) 
says:  "No  student  of  the  engravings  by  Jacopo  de'  Barbari  can  fail  to  be  struck 
by  the  similarity  between  the  figure  of  St.  Jerome  and  some  of  those  in  Barbari's 
engravings." 

St.  Jerome,  one  of  the  most  learned  of  the  fathers  of  the  Latin  church,  a  pro- 
lific writer,  and  the  author  of  the  Vulgate,  was  born  331  or  342  in  Dalmatia  of 
well-to-do  parents ;  converted  at  Rome  about  360 ;  lived  four  years  as  an  an- 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


chorite  in  the  desert;  died  about  420  at  a  monastery  near  Bethlehem,  which  he 
had  founded  with  funds  furnished  by  Paula,  a  wealthy  lady  of  his  following.  He 
was  one  of  the  favorite  saints  of  Diirer's  and  later  times,  and  therefore  often 
taken  as  a  subject  by  artists.  The  lion  accompanies  him,  because,  according  to 
the  legend,  he  drew  a  thorn  from  the  paw  of  the  animal,  which  ever  afterwards 
was  his  companion. 

7  THE  PENANCE  OF  ST.  JOHN  CHRYSOSTOM.— B  63; 

H  723  ;  R  7  ;  M  4. —  Monogram. 

A  wonderfully  fine  impression,  pure  black  ink,  slightly  glossy,  abso- 
lutely clean  wiped. 

The  impression  here  exhibited  shows  the  ideal  of  the  printing  of  the  time, — 
pure  black  ink,  absolutely  clean  wiped,  the  blacks  vigorous  yet  open,  the  lines 
full  but  not  too  full,  nor  wiped  out;  in  other  words,  every  line  telling  at  its  full 
value,  without  any  help  whatever  from  smudging  or  tinting.  There  is  a  glorious 
impression  in  the  Rothschild  Collection  at  Paris,  another  very  beautiful  one  in 
the  Berlin  Cabinet,  and  a  fine  one  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston. 

Retberg,  before  1495;  Heller,  1486-1500.  Middleton,  as  previously  noted, 
places  it  before  "  The  Offer  of  Love  "  (see  No.  4),  which  involves  an  impos- 
sibility. The  workmanship  is,  indeed,  still  very  simple,  but  of  a  regularity  and 
skill,  especially  in  the  modeling  of  the  flesh,  which  advances  it  considerably 
beyond  "  The  Offer  of  Love."  The  formation  of  the  monogram  also  bears 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  later  position.  Thausing  (I,  p,  228)  thinks  that  we 
probably  have  here  Diirer's  earliest  engraved  study  from  the  nude  female  figure. 
"  What  difficulties  the  artist  experienced  in  doing  this  figure,"  he  says,  "  can  be 
clearly  seen  even  in  the  finished  engraving.  We  can  note  the  cutting  away  of 
a  piece  of  the  rock  on  which  she  is  sitting;  the  evident  shortening  of  the  figure, 
as  revealed  by  the  existence,  above  the  head,  of  the  original  outline,  and  of  the 
parting  of  the  hair,  which  has  been  turned  into  a  hollow  in  the  rock ;  and  we 
can  even  make  out  the  old  contour  of  the  shoulder  and  the  top  of  the  arm, 
though  the  correction  is  meant  to  be  hidden  by  the  deep  shading.  These  signs 
of  uncertainty  in  drawing  the  human  form,  which  appear  to  be,  in  some  degree, 
owing  to  Venetian  influences,  are  worth  noticing,  because  they  form  rare  excep- 
tions to  his  later  method."  The  idea  is  simply  preposterous.  Imagine  a  sit- 
ting figure,  with  the  head  placed  where,  according  to  Thausing,  it  was  originally 
engraved  by  Diirer,  and  then  consider  the  proportions  of  the  upper  and  the 
lower  parts  of  the  body.  And  again,  the  notion  that  an  artist  like  Diirer,  even 
in  his  younger  years,  should  engrave  such  a  monstrous  figure,  and  then  correct 


7 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


it  on  the  plate,  instead  of  making  the  correction  on  his  preHminary  sketch  or 
drawing!  Moreover,  why  should  he  have  left  the  white  line  defining  the  head 
so  glaringly  visible?  His  skill  was  certainly  equal  to  covering  it  with  lines. 
The  gondola  in  the  distance  again  points  to  Venice. 

This  plate  is  frequently,  but  erroneously,  called  "  St.  Genevieve."  The  story 
of  St.  John  Chrysostom,  "  the  Golden-mouthed,"  too  long  and  too  unsavory  to 
be  recounted  here,  may  be  found  in  Heller. 

8  THE    VIRGIN    ON    THE    CRESCENT,  WITHOUT 
CROWN— B  30;  H489;  R9;  M  18.— Monogram. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  in  pure  black  ink,  but  with  considerable 
"smudging"  (see  below).  Some  touches  of  white  on  the  crescent  to 
counteract  the  effect  of  the  ink  on  the  face  of  "  the  man  in  the  moon." 
Paper  somewhat  stained.    Duplicate  from  the  Berlin  Cabinet. 

b.  Another  impression,  not  so  good,  but  without  "  smudging "  (see 
below),  and  therefore  interesting  for  comparison. 

c.  Bartsch's  "  copie  trompeuse  "  A. 

The  meaning  of  the  term  "  smudging,"  as  here  used,  has  already  been  explained 
(see  Introduction,  p.  xxxix),  but  it  may  be  well,  for  the  prevention  of  misunder- 
standings, to  repeat  the  explanation  here.  It  does  not,  necessarily,  imply  a  criti- 
cism, much  less  a  condemnation,  of  the  impression  to  which  it  applies.  On  the 
contrary,  it  may,  and  generally  does,  give  added  interest  to  the  proof  in  question. 
"Smudging,"  i.  e.,  the  presence  of  ink  on  the  surface  of  the  plate  where,  origi- 
nally, there  was  no  intention  of  having  ink,  was  undoubtedly  at  first  an  accident, 
but,  as  the  art  of  the  printer  developed,  it  led  to  "  tinting,"  which  is  "  smudg- 
ing" under  the  control  of  the  printer.  An  impression  like  a  is,  therefore,  a 
curious  and  interesting  document  in  the  history  of  printing,  in  which  Diirer 
and  the  printers  of  his  plates  play  a  conspicuous  part.  The  "  smudging  "  in 
this  case  is,  presumably,  accidental,  as  it  occurs  not  only  in  the  dark  parts  of  the 
drapery,  where  it  might  be  intentional,  but  it  obscures  also  "  the  man  in  the 
moon,"  which  cannot  be  intentional.  For  an  example  of  "  tinting  "  see,  for  in- 
stance. No.  95  of  this  catalogue.  The  fine  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  and 
Berlin  are  all  clean  wiped. 

This  very  delicately  and  skilfully  engraved  little  plate,  in  its  placid  beauty, 
vividly  recalls  Schongauer,  especially  his  "  Little  Standing  Madonna,"  B  27, 
and  still  more  Wenzel  von  Olmiitz's  reversed  copy  of  the  print  named.  Schon- 
gauer's  original  and  Wenzel's  copy  can  be  compared  in  the  reproductions  given 

8 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


by  Lehrs  on  PI.  V  of  his  "Wenzel  von  Olmiitz."  Thausing  (I,  pp.  225,  226) 
mentions  it  as  a  "  small  archaic  figure,"  in  Wolgemut's  manner.  An  unpleasant 
feature  is  the  face  in  the  crescent, —  the  "man  in  the  moon," — upon  which  the 
Virgin  stands,  a  detail  abandoned  by  Diirer  in  later  years.  A  fine  example  of 
far-fetched  interpretation  is  furnished  in  this  instance  by  Von  Eye,  who  detects  a 
symbolical  meaning  in  the  apple  held  by  the  child,  which  he  declares  to  be  the 
fruit  "  of  the  new  tree  of  life."  If  this  view  be  accepted,  it  will  be  necessary, 
also,  to  find  symbolical  meanings  for  the  pears  and  even  the  sucking-bag  which 
occur  similarly  in  other  plates.  Diirer  evidently  looked  upon  them  merely  as 
creature-comforts  which,  in  the  innocence  and  "  gross  materialism  "  of  his  na- 
ture, he  considered  quite  appropriate  in  the  hands  of  a  child. 
Called  also  "The  Virgm  with  Long  Hair,  tied  with  a  Ribbon." 

9  THE  LITTLE  FORTUNE.— B  78;  H  831;  R  6;  M  9.— 
Monogram. 

a.  Very  vigorous  impression.  Black  ink,  clean  wiped,  except  in  the 
floating  drapery  in  front  of  the  figure,  which  shows  "  smudging  "  (see  re- 
marks under  No.  8).   Paper  rubbed  and  spotted,  especially  about  the  head. 

b.  Good  impression,  in  warmer  ink,  on  warmer  paper,  clean  wiped, 
not  quite  sound.    From  the  Buccleuch  Collection. 

Impression  a  is  of  special  interest,  as  in  the  series  of  prints  here  shown,  it  is 
the  first  undoubtedly  conscious  attempt  at  "  artificial "  printing,  although  not  a 
successful  one.  Accidental  "smudging"  (see  the  remarks  under  No.  8)  occurs 
often  in  old  prints,  but  here  it  is  evidently  not  an  accident.  The  printer  tried 
to  tint  the  drapery,  so  as  to  give  it  color,  but  as  his  ink  was  not  of  the  right 
kind,  and  his  skill  insufiicient,  he  produced  merely  a  smudge,  which  here  and 
there  extends  even  beyond  the  drapery. 

Called  "The  Little  Fortune,"  to  distinguish  it  from  "Nemesis"  or  "The 
Great  Fortune  "  (see  No.  33  of  this  catalogue).  Fortune  "  stands  on  a  globe* 
and  supports  herself  with  her  left  hand  on  a  reed,  to  express  her  inconstancy 
and  frailty,"  says  Bartsch.  To  this  Heller  adds  that  in  the  same  hand  "  she 
holds  a  dangerous  thistle."  Retberg  sees  in  the  "  reed  "  a  pilgrim's  staff,  the 
form  of  which  it  decidedly  has,  while  Thausing  (I,  p.  230)  finds  in  it  evidence 
that  the  figure  was  drawn  from  a  living  model,  to  whom  the  staff  served  as  a 
support.  "  It  seems,"  he  goes  on  to  say,  "  as  if  Durer  were  here  making  a  slight 
attempt  to  see  how  far  he  could  adapt  engraving  to  his  new  ideas  of  nature 
before  he  undertook  the  larger  rendering  of  the  same  subject,"  that  is  to  say  of 


10 


9 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


the  "Nemesis"  (see  No.  33,  as  above).  In  accordance  with  this  idea  he 
places  the  print  "a  few  years  earlier"  than  1503.  Retberg  assigns  it  to  before 
1495  ;  Heller,  to  between  i486  and  1500.  The  figure  certainly  is  very  like  the 
"  Nemesis  "  in  its  motive,  simply  copied,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  nude,  and  it  is 
therefore  quite  different  from  the  figures  probably  inspired  by  Italian  art,  such 
as  tlie  woman  in  "  The  Turkish  Family"  (No.  21)  and  the  one  about  to  strike 
in  the  "  Hercules"  (No.  17).  It  differs  also  from  the  figures  in  "  The  Dream" 
(No.  15),  and  "The  Four  Naked  Women"  (No.  14),  in  which  faint  traces  of 
the  antique  may  be  detected,  and  from  the  "  Eve"  in  "Adam  and  Eve"  (No. 
34),  in  which  Diirer's  theoretical  studies  find  early  expression.  But  the  work- 
manship, very  simple  although  skilful,  and  the  monogram  point  to  an  earher 
time  than  that  of  the  "  Nemesis."  The  suggestion  that  the  figure  is  a  portrait 
of  Diirer's  wife  is  not  worth  discussing. 

JO  THE  LITTLE  COURIER.— B  80;  H  986;  R  13  ;  M  10.— 
Monogram. 

Very  fine,  clear  impression.  Pure  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  Water- 
mark, large  bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i. 

Again  a  fine  specimen  of  old  clean  printing.  What  there  is  of  tinting  along  the 
margins  is  evidently  accidental.  Very  fine  impressions  also  in  Paris,  London, 
Dresden,  and  Berlin,  all  printed  in  pure  black  ink  and  clean  wiped. 

Retberg  assigns  this  plate  to  before  1495;  Heller,  1486-1500;  Middleton, 
"  executed  early  in  1496."  According  to  Von  Eye,  it  "discloses  itself  at  first 
sight  as  rudimentary  work."  The  plate  is  somewhat  puzzling.  It  is  quite 
archaic  in  conception,  and  very  simple,  although  skilful,  in  execution,  and  yet 
the  monogram  shows  considerable  development.  (For  "The  Great  Courier," 
see  No.  103  of  this  catalogue.) 

Called  also  "  The  Post-boy,"  and  "  Eppelein  von  Gailingen,"  who  was  a  cele- 
brated robber-knight  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

n  THE  MONSTROUS  PIG.— B  95;  H  1019;  R  19;  M  11.— 
Monogram. 

Very  fine,  early  impression.  Pure  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  The  im- 
pression is  absolutely  irreproachable,  except  that  some  foolish  person  has 
tried  to  make  it  look  "richer"  by  strengthening  the  shadows  with  India 
ink.    From  the  Marshall  Collection. 

10 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


"  In  the  1496th  year,"  says  an  old  Nuremberg  chronicle,  "  there  was  born  a 
curious  pig  in  the  village  of  Landsee  [near  Nuremberg],  with  one  head,  4  ears, 
2  bodies,  8  feet,  on  the  6  it  stood,  the  other  2  were  about  the  body,  and  had 
2  tongues."  The  description  tallies  with  Diirer's  engraving,  which  is  therefore 
unanimously  assigned  to  about  1496,  a  conclusion  which  the  workmanship  and 
the  monogram  do  not  antagonize.  Von  Eye  gives  1476  as  the  date  of  the 
chronicle  item,  but  this  is  probably  a  misprint.  Evidently  a  "  pot-boiler,"  made 
with  an  eye  to  the  market  only. 

Passavant  says  there  are  impressions  from  the  retouched  plate. 

12  THE   PROMENADE.— B   94;   H  884;   R  14;   M  21.— 
Monogram. 

a.  Very  fine,  strong  impression,  black  ink,  slight  tinting.  Water 
mark,  a  Gothic  p,  similar  to  Hausmann,  No.  3. 

b.  Reversed  copy  by  Marcantonio,  B  XIV,  p.  415,  No.  652. 

c.  Reversed  copy  by  Israel  van  Meckenem. 

The  very  slight  tinting  in  the  original  here  shown  is  probably  accidental.  The 
impressions  in  the  great  cabinets  of  Europe  vary  considerably.  The  one  in 
Paris  is  a  fine  dark  impression,  the  ink  a  trifle  warmish,  clean  wiped.  London 
has  a  good  impression,  in  very  black  ink,  without  any  tinting  or  smudging, 
but  overcharged,  so  that  the  lines  run  together  where  they  are  broadest  and 
most  closely  placed.  The  tree  trunk,  for  instance,  shows  black  masses  and  spots 
in  the  darkest  parts.  In  Dresden  there  is  a  good,  clean-wiped  proof,  black  ink, 
a  trifle  warmish.  The  Berlin  Cabinet  possesses  a  wonderfully  fine  impression, 
pure  black  ink,  absolutely  clean  wiped,  but  the  lines  are  rather  full  or,  possibly, 
still  "  burry."  This  latter  is  decidedly  the  case  in  some  of  the  sprigs  of  grass 
in  the  left  foreground.    The  impression  must,  therefore,  be  a  very  early  one. 

Retberg  assigns  this  plate  to  about  1495;  Heller  to  1486-1500.  It  is  a 
difiicult  plate  to  place.  Its  rude,  heavy  workmanship  stands  in  marked  con- 
trast with  the  daintmess  of  the  plates  which  precede  it, —  No.  8  for  instance, — 
and  still  more  with  the  rich,  yet  delicate  effect  of  the  one  which  follows  in  the 
arrangement  here  adopted.  The  character  of  the  design  also  is  puzzling. 
There  is  an  archaic,  somewhat  austere,  not  to  say  uncouth,  character  in  these 
two  figures  which  is  out  of  harmony  with  Diirer's  other  works.  In  the  faces, 
on  the  other  hand,  there  is  the  expression  of  a  definite  state  of  mind, —  earnest 
pleading  in  that  of  the  man,  doubt  and  pondering  in  that  of  the  woman, — hardly 
to  be  found  elsewhere  (see,  for  instance.  No.  4).    If,  however,  the  W  theory 


II 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


is  given  up  (see  Introduction,  p.  xxiii),  the  plate  must  be  accepted, —  and  is  gen- 
erally accepted, —  as  being  by  Diirer,  in  conception  as  well  as  in  execution, 
and  its  approximate  place  in  the  series  is  fixed  by  the  shape  of  the  monogram. 

Passavant  says  there  are  impressions  from  the  worn  plate,  "  rebitten."  If  so, 
they  must  be  exceedingly  rare.  Very  likely  the  statement  will  have  to  be 
accepted  with  caution,  like  so  many  other  statements  made  by  the  same  writer. 

Called  also  "  The  Gentleman  and  the  Lady "  and  "  The  Knight  and  the 
Lady."  Diirer  and  his  wife,  either  as  happy  lovers  or  as  victims  of  conjugal 
strife  (see  Retberg,  Heller,  and  Von  Eye),  have  been  detected  in  this  print, 
although  the  explanation  of  the  subject  offers  no  difficulty.  It  is  akin  to  the 
scenes  of  the  "  Dance  of  Death,"  so  popular  at  the  time, —  a  youthful  couple, 
for  whom  death  is  already  prepared.  The  inscription  on  Israel  van  Mecke- 
nem's  old  copy  reads,  according  to  Heller :  "  Ten  is  niet  al  tzeyt  vast  avent. 
Der  doet  kompt  en  brengt  den'Aevent,"  which  might  be  translated :  "  For  is  it 
not  always  near  evening?    Death  comes  and  brings  evening." 

J3  THE  VIRGIN  AND  CHILD  WITH  THE  MONKEY  — 

B  42;  H  628;  R  88;  M  23.— Monogram. 

a.  Very  beautiful  impression.  Perfect  in  the  printing,  strong  black 
ink,  clean  wiped.    On  paper  of  a  fine  warm  tint. 

b.  Also  a  very  beautiful  impression,  but  not  so  closely  wiped.  It  is 
consequently  fuller  in  the  darks,  and  the  sky  and  distance  do  not  hold 
their  places  so  well.  The  lighter  tint  of  the  paper  serves  to  heighten 
the  contrast.    From  the  Fisher  Collection. 

c.  Late  impression  from  the  worn  plate. 

The  two  impressions  a  and  b  are  both  very  fine,  and  both  in  perfect  preserva- 
tion. They  are  in  reality  both  clean  wiped,  but  b  seems  to  be  printed  with 
stiffer  ink,  and  some  of  the  darks  are  filled.  All  the  fine  impressions  in  Paris, 
London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin,  and  the  one  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  are 
printed  in  strong  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  Most  of  the  impressions  from  this 
plate,  however,  show  some  unsoundness  in  the  upper  part. 

The  late  impressions,  such  as  c,  are  mere  shadows,  but,  nevertheless,  they  are 
not  quite  unattractive.  The  plate  wore  very  evenly,  and  therefore  preserves 
something  of  unity,  even  in  its  decay,  while  late  impressions  from  other  plates 
are  ragged  and  hideous.  See,  for  instance,  the  worn  impressions,  Nos.  47  b 
and  516.    In  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  there  is  an  instructive  series  of  four 

12 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


impressions,  illustrating  the  gradual  deterioration  of  the  plate.  The  latest  proofs, 
like  c,  show  a  hole  at  top. 

Retberg  assigns  before  1506  to  this  plate,  Heller,  1500-06,  which  is  alto- 
gether too  late,  as  it  would  place  it  after  the  "  Adam  and  Eve  "  of  1504  (No.  34 
of  this  catalogue).  It  is  of  the  utmost  simplicity  in  handling,  although  very  deli- 
cate and  skilful,  without  any  attempt  at  variation  of  texture  (a  very  slight  varia- 
tion, in  the  under  sleeve  of  the  Madonna's  garment  on  her  left  arm,  excepted), 
and  therefore  without  even  the  faintest  suggestion  of  color.  In  this  respect  it 
is  worth  comparing  with  "  Adam  and  Eve  "  and  "  The  Virgin  sitting  by  a  Wall  " 
(Nos.  34  and  75  of  this  catalogue).  Placed  as  it  here  is,  between  "  The  Prome- 
nade "  and  the  "  Four  Naked  Women,"  it  does  certainly  seem  out  of  place,  and 
it  may  indeed  be  said  of  these  three  plates  that,  if  they  were  judged  by  their  work- 
manship alone,  bore  no  monogram,  and  nothing  whatever  were  known  of  their 
pedigree,  it  is  not  very  likely  that  they  would  be  assigned  to  one  and  the  same 
artist.  The  doubts  to  which  this  plate  and  "  The  Holy  Family  with  the  Dragon- 
fly" (No.  2  of  this  catalogue)  have  given  rise  have  before  been  alluded  to  (see 
Introduction,  p.  xvi). 

Among  the  Virgins  of  Diirer, —  late  as  well  as  early, —  this  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  dignified,  or  it  may,  perhaps,  be  quite  as  safe  to  say,  ihe  most  beau- 
tiful and  dignified,  not  only  in  the  figures  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  but  also  in  the 
breadth  and  airiness  of  the  landscape.  Unfortunately  the  enjoyment  of  the  de- 
sign is  marred  somewhat  by  the  fact  that  the  child  is  teasing  a  poor  little  bird, 
and  holds  in  its  left  hand  a  sucking-bag,  which  is  even  more  objectionable  than 
the  usual  apple  or  pear.  The  monkey  has  given  opportunity  to  the  commenta- 
tors to  display  their  ingenuity.  According  to  Retberg  it  symbolizes  the  devil. 
Heller  thinks  it  is  intended  for  the  child  to  play  with,  while  Von  Eye  conjectures 
that  such  animals  were  probably  kept  in  the  houses  of  persons  of  rank  at  the 
time.  The  opinion  expressed  by  Passavant,  that  the  design  suggests  Italian  in- 
fluences, is  shared  also  by  other  writers,  but  these  Italian  influences  are  noticea- 
bly modified  by  German  feeling,  and  it  is  therefore  quite  logical  in  Springer  that 
he  should  have  tried  to  assign  the  conception  to  Jacopo  de'  Barbari,  in  whom 
Italian  and  German  peculiarities  so  intermingle  that  his  nationality  was  for  a 
long  time  in  doubt.  In  its  austerity  it  is  allied  to  the  contemporaneous  designs 
of  the  "  Apocalypse,"  but  there  is  more  beauty  in  it.  The  loveliness  of  the  back- 
ground was  early  recognized,  and  several  Italian  engravers  availed  themselves 
of  it.  A  water-color  study  for  the  landscape  distance  on  the  right  is  in  the 
British  Museum.    (Lippmann,  No.  220.) 


13 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


14  FOUR  NAKED  WOMEN.— B  75 ;  H  861 ;  R  21 ;  U  24.— 

Monogram;  dated  1497. 

a.  Beautiful  impression,  black  ink,  quite  clean  wiped,  on  paper  of  a 
warm  tint.  The  impression  lacks  about  one  eighth  of  an  inch  on  the 
right,  and  the  outline  has  been  cut  away  all  around.  A  false  margin  was 
then  supplied  and  the  outline  redrawn  with  ink, —  both  operations  done 
with  marvelous  skill.  Comparison  with  b  will  show  that  the  original  out- 
line was  duplicated  along  lower  left  margin,  and  that  it  did  not  touch  the 
little  upper  ball  of  the  ornament  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  Water- 
mark, large  bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i. 

b.  Very  fine  impression.  Warmish  ink,  clean  wiped,  on  paper  of  a 
lighter  tint.    From  the  Rendorp,  Esdaile,  and  Donnadieu  Collections. 

c.  Copy  by  Wenzel  von  Olmiitz,  from  the  badly  worn  plate. 

d.  Reversed  copy  by  Israel  van  Meckenem. 

The  impressions  in  the  cabinets  at  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin,  are  all 
fine  and  all  absolutely  clean  wiped,  the  one  in  Berlin  somewhat  rough,  as  if  the 
lines  still  had  some  bur. 

The  date,  1497, —  the  first  found  on  Diirer's  engravings, —  fixes  the  position 
in  time  of  this  plate,  but  its  precise  relation  to  other  undated  plates  must  remain 
in  doubt.  (See  the  remarks  under  No.  13.)  The  modeling  of  the  figures  is, 
indeed,  very  telling,  producing  a  "fleshiness"  that  even  the  Eve  of  1504  (see 
No.  34  of  this  catalogue)  does  not  share,  but  the  laying  of  the  lines  is  not  nearly 
as  skilful, —  or,  it  might  be  better  to  say,  "set," — as  in  "The  Penance  of  St. 
John  Chrysostom  "  (No.  7),  which  is  earlier,  and  between  the  "Four  Naked 
Women"  and  "  Tlie  Virgin  and  Child  with  the  Monkey"  (No.  13),  there  is  a 
whole  world  of  difference  in  the  execution,  not  less  than  in  the  spirit  which  these 
compositions  breathe. 

As  to  the  meaning  of  the  subject,  the  diversity  of  opinion  is  great  and  irrecon- 
cilable, and  finds  expression  in  the  various  titles  applied  to  it,  viz. :  "  The  Four 
Witches,"  "  Four  Naked  Women,  or  Sybils,"  "  The  Graces,"  and  "  The  Judg- 
ment of  Paris."  For  the  discussion  of  the  questions  involved,  the  student  will 
have  to  consult  not  only  Thausing,  but  also  AUihn,  Bergau,  Frimmel,  Rosen- 
berg, and  Von  Eye  (see  List  of  Books,  etc.).  The  truth  seems  to  be  that  Diirer 
desired  simply  to  utilize  his  studies  of  the  nude  female  form,  but  that,  as  a  con- 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


cession  to  the  spirit  of  the  age,  he  introduced  death  (in  the  form  of  the  skull 
and  bone)  and  the  devil,  thus  giving  to  the  subject  the  moralizing  air  which 
alone  could  make  it  palatable  to  his  countrymen.  This  is  also  Anton  Springer's 
conclusion  ("  Diirer,"  p.  32).  In  connection  with  these  additions,  the  composi- 
tion might  be  interpreted  as  hinting  at  the  frailty  of  female  beauty,  which  fades 
before  death  and  leads  to  sin,  and  in  this  manner  it  would  be  brought,  like 
"  The  Promenade,"  into  relationship  with  the  idea  which  inspired  the  "  Dance 
of  Death."  It  is  not  at  all  necessary  to  assume  that  the  artist  did  this  grudg- 
ingly, since  he  remained  thoroughly  Northern  and  German  at  heart,  despite  the 
Italian  influences  to  which  he  had  been  subjected.  Thode  (Jahrbuch,  III,  p. 
118,  where  the  Bartsch  numbers  given  are  all  wrong,  however)  finds  remi- 
niscences of  the  Venus  of  the  Uffizi  (the  "Venus  de'  Medici";  see  the  photograph. 
Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  I)  in  one  of  the  figures  of  the  group.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  follow  him  in  this,  as  the  comparison  will  show.  Nevertheless,  the 
"  Four  Naked  Women  "  evidently  points  to  the  influence  of  the  antique  received 
by  Diirer,  not  directly,  probably,  but  through  the  medium  of  that  mysterious 
factor  in  his  development,  Jacopo  de'  Barbari.  Looking  at  the  "  Four  Naked 
Women,"  one  is  struck  by  its  relationship  to  the  Italian's  "  Victory  and 
Fame,"  B  18,  Kristeller  26  (see  Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  IV),  not  only  in 
the  conception  of  the  female  figure,  but  even  in  the  technical  qualities  as  shown 
in  the  modeling  of  the  flesh.  And  Jacopo's  "  Victory  "  again  impresses  one  as 
inspired  by  a  back  view  of  the  "  Capitoline  Venus"  (see  Supplementary  Illus- 
trations, No.  III).  Jacopo  cannot,  indeed,  have  seen  this  very  statue,  but  there 
are  many  repetitions  of  the  same  type,  one  of  which  may  have  come  under  his 
observation.  It  will  be  well  to  confess  that  there  is  always  much  temptation  to 
trace  fanciful  resemblances  of  this  sort.  Still,  the  general  similarity  in  the  con- 
ception, and  the  special  similarity  in  the  arrangement  of  the  hair  of  the  "  Capi- 
toline Venus"  and  of  Jacopo's  "  Victory  "  (which  in  Diirer's  figure  has  naturally 
undergone  still  further  change),  seem  to  lend  some  coloring  to  the  suggestion 
made.  Absolute  copying,  as  a  matter  of  course,  is  quite  out  of  the  question. 
In  all  these  cases  reminiscences'  only  are  involved, —  reminiscences  kept  vivid 
by  a  desire  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  antiquity. 

If  the  sequence  of  the  plates  here  adopted  is  correct,  this  is  the  third  attempt 
of  Diirer  to  treat  the  naked  female  figure,  a  problem  which  occupied  his  atten- 
tion for  many  years.  In  the  first  plate,  "  The  Penance  of  St.  John  Chrysos- 
tom"  (No.  7),  the  treatment  is  conventional.  The  second,  "The  Little  For- 
tune" (No.  9),  is  evidently  a  study  from  nature.  The  figures  in  the  present 
plate  are  also  naturalistically  treated,  even  in  the  heads.  In  the  plates  which 
follow  we  have  again  idealization. 


15 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


15  THE  DREAM.— B  76  ;  H  854  ;  R  1 16  ;  M  24.— Monogram. 

Very  fine  impression.    Black  ink,  clean  wiped.    From  the  Donnadieu 
Collection. 

The  fine  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin  are  all  printed  in 
black  ink,  clean  wiped.    In  London  there  is  also  a  counterproof. 

Heller  assigns  this  plate  to  1500-06.  Retberg,  misled  by  his  Pirkheimer 
theory  (see  below),  places  it  about  1507.  There  is  no  reason,  however,  why 
it  should  not  belong  to  the  same  period  as  the  "  Four  Naked  Women,"  although 
it  is  idealistic,  or  conventional,  in  the  treatment  of  the  female  figure,  as  opposed 
to  the  naturalistic  treatment  in  the  previous  plate,  the  artist  having  been  influ- 
enced, probably,  by  his  theoretical  studies.  The  modeling  of  the  flesh  shows 
greater  technical  skill  than  in  the  "  Four  Women,"  but  is  not  as  telling. 

This  is  another  of  the  much  discussed  plates,  and  those  who  are  interested  in 
the  Wolgemut  theory  will  do  well  to  look  up  Thausing  (I,  pp.  209  and  210). 
The  titles  given  to  it  are  "  Idleness,"  "  The  Doctor's  Dream,"  "  The  Dream 
Doctor,"  and  "  The  Dream  of  the  Podagrist."  Heller  most  prosaically  reduces 
it  to  the  representation  of  the  effect  of  the  heat  of  a  stove,  which  inflames  the 
imagination  of  the  dreamer.  Retberg  conjectures  that  it  is  a  joke  at  Pirk- 
heimer's  expense,  in  continuation  of  the  somewhat  indelicate  insinuations  in 
Diirer's  letters  to  him  from  Venice  : — The  devil  still  makes  him  dream  of  love, 
but  Cupid  tries  in  vain  to  walk  on  stilts,  and  his  luck  with  the  ladies  has  de- 
serted him,  as  signified  by  the  ball  of  Fortune,  lying  forgotten  in  a  comer. 
Vasari  speaks  of  it  as  "  representing  a  man  sleeping  in  a  bath-room,  while 
Venus  is  behind  him  inspiring  his  dreams  with  temptation,  and  Love,  mounted 
on  stilts,  capers  and  sports  around  him,  while  the  Devil  blows  into  his  ear  with 
a  pair  of  bellows."  According  to  Thausing  it  is  "  a  pictorial  satire  on  senile 
lust,"  not  addressed  to  Pirkheimer  in  particular  (who,  born  in  1470,  was  not 
"  senile  "  at  the  time),  but  to  mankind  in  general.  Diirer's  studies  of  the  nude, 
in  connection  with  the  desire  to  convert  them  into  pictures,  and  with  the  moral- 
izing tendencies  of  the  age,  are  sufficient  to  furnish  the  motive,  whatever  the 
meaning.  Thode  (Jahrbuch,  III,  p.  118)  sees  in  the  female  figure  a  Venus, 
and  thinks  that  its  forms  and  proportions  are  inconceivable  without  the  influence 
of  the  antique.  It  certainly  quite  closely  resembles  in  pose  the  "  Eve  "  (see  No. 
37),  in  which  the  influence  of  the  antique  has  also  been  traced. 


16 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


16  THE  RAPE  OF  AMYMONE.— B   71;  H  8oi;   R  125; 
M  20. —  Monogram, 

a.  Very  good  impression,  warmish  black  ink,  absolutely  clean  wiped. 

b.  Also  a  good  impression,  although  probably  later  than  a.  Printed 
in  a  softer,  warm  ink,  clean  wiped,  and  therefore  quite  delicate. 

c.  Reversed  copy,  by  Johannes  Ladenspelder  van  Essen,  according  to 
Nagler,  "  Monogrammisten,"  III,  p.  994,  No.  2614. 

Fine  impressions  in  London,  Paris,  and  Berlin,  in  black  ink,  clean  wiped, 
that  in  London  rather  warmish.  This  last  is  especially  rich,  and  seems  to  show 
traces  of  the  bur  left  by  the  graver. 

Good  impressions  from  this  plate,  like  a,  produce  something  of  the  sugges- 
tion of  color,  which  is  due,  however,  rather  to  the  variety  of  objects  and  forms, 
— landscape,  buildings,  water,  the  body  of  the  woman,  the  scaly  merman, —  than 
to  a  conscious  striving  after  variety  of  texture  for  the  sake  of  color,  although 
there  is  an  attempt  in  that  direction  noticeable  in  the  different  treatment  of  the 
bodies  of  the  woman  and  the  merman. 

Retberg  assigns  the  plate  to  about  1509,  Heller  to  1500-06,  Grimm  (Jahr- 
buch  II,  p.  189)  to  "the  very  first  years  after  1500,"  with  reference  to  a  draw- 
ing dated  1503.  A  comparison  of  the  workmanship  with  that  of  "  The  Coat- 
of-Arms  with  the  Skull"  (No.  30  of  this  catalogue),  which  is  dated  1503,  shows 
that  the  "  Amymone  "  must  be  considerably  earlier.  It  seems  hardly  to  admit  of 
doubt,  moreover,  that  the  four  plates  here  numbered  14  to  17  form  a  closely 
related  group.    (See  Introduction,  p.  xvii.) 

It  is  generally  conceded  that  it  is  this  print  to  which  Diirer  alludes  in  the 
diary  of  his  journey  to  the  Netherlands,  as  "  The  Sea  Wonder  "  ("  Das  Meer- 
wunder");  an  old  anonymous  Nuremberg  writer  calls  it  "The  Sea  Robber"; 
Vasari  describes  it  as  "a  nymph  borne  away  by  a  sea  monster,  while 
other  nymphs  are  seen  bathing."  The  title  generally  accepted  to-day  is 
the  one  above  given.  "  This  representation,"  says  Heller,  however,  "  does 
not  quite  agree  with  the  history  of  the  Triton  carrying  off  one  of  the  fifty 
daughters  of  Danaus;  we  think  rather  that  it  is  intended  to  represent  the 
story  of  Glaucus  carrying  off  Syme,  and  the  man  crying  out  in  the  distance 
is  probably  Glaucus  when  he  was  still  a  fisherman  and  about  to  throw 
himself  into  the  sea,  where  he  was  changed  into  a  Triton,  as  which  he  carried  off 
Syme,  and  brought  her  to  an  island  not  far  from  Caria."  The  remedy  proposed 
in  this  case  seems  as  bad  as  the  disease.    The  subject  is  one  of  those  in  which 


17 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


Durer  shows  the  influence  of  the  anticjue,  transmitted,  possibly,  through  Man- 
tegna,  whose  "  Battle  of  the  Tritons"  he  copied  in  1494.  Thausing  (I,  p.  215) 
tliinks  that  the  author  (Wolgemut,  according  to  him)  had  in  his  mind  the  idea 
of  a  Nereid  borne  by  a  Triton,  as  seen  on  ancient  sarcophagi.  Anton  Springer 
("  Diirer,"  p.  30)  objects  to  all  of  this,  and  says  that  if  we  could  see  the  antique 
myths  with  the  eyes  of  the  sixteenth  century,  we  would  find  in  this  plate  the  one 
which  Diirer  calls  "  Hercules  "  in  his  diary.  "  It  is  very  difficult,  indeed,"  he 
continues,  "  to  recognize  Hercules  in  the  fat  old  Turk  who  is  running  helplessly 
hither  and  thither  on  the  further  side  of  the  broad  stream,  while  Dejaneira  is  com- 
fortably resting  in  the  arms  of  a  water-god  on  the  nearer  side.  But,  after  all, 
this  ridiculous  transformation  of  the  scene  is  no  greater  than  that  in  many  pic- 
tures of  the  sixteenth  century  which  represent  the  Judgment  of  Paris."  This 
hypothesis  would  be  quite  attractive  if  it  were  not  for  the  fact  that  there  is  no 
other  print  of  Durer's  which  might  possibly  be  called  "  The  Sea  Wonder." 

\7  HERCULES  — B  73;  H  815;  R  126;  M  16.— Monogram. 

a.  Unfinished  trial  proof.    Reproduction  by  photogravure. 

b.  Very  beautiful  impression  from  the  finished  plate.  Black  ink, 
clean  wiped.  Watermark,  the  high  crown,  Hausmann,  No.  4.  From  the 
Verstolk  Collection. 

c.  Modern  copy. 

Beautiful  impressions  in  London  and  Berlin.  The  one  in  Paris  is  framed, 
and  cannot,  therefore,  be  satisfactorily  seen.  In  Dresden  there  are  two,  a 
black  and  a  brown  one,  the  lines  in  the  latter  sharper  and  much  more  delicate 
than  in  the  former, —  in  consequence,  undoubtedly,  of  the  different  consistency 
of  the  ink. 

The  figures  in  this  composition  are  again  conventional  rather  than  realistic, 
under  the  influence  of  Italian  art  (see  below).  The  workmanship  resembles 
that  of  the  preceding  plate,  but  is  more  delicate  and  elegant.  The  texture  is 
uniform,  the  effect  of  variety  being  due,  as  before,  to  the  variety  of  the  objects 
represented, —  flesh,  drapery,  foliage,  buildings,  etc.  The  plate  is  remarkable, 
however,  for  the  spaciousness  of  the  landscape,  and  the  gradation  in  the  group 
of  trees,  which  grows  lighter  towards  the  top,  and  suggests  different  planes  by 
different  degrees  of  gray.  On  the  whole,  it  is  the  most  pleasing  bit  of  landscape 
engraved  by  Diirer. 

Unfinished  proofs,  i.  e.,  trial  proofs,  are  known  to  exist  from  two  of  Durer's 
plates, —  this  and  the  "  Adam  and  Eve  "  (No.  34).  They  show  his  curious  and 
assured  method  of  proceeding, —  not  carrying  the  whole  of  the  plate  forward 

18 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


by  degrees,  but  finishing  one  part  after  another.  The  only  two  known  trial 
proofs  from  the  "  Hercules  "  plate  are  in  the  Berlin  Cabinet  (pure  black  ink,  clean 
wiped)  and  in  the  Albertina  at  Vienna.  The  reproduction  here  shown,  from 
the  impression  in  Berlin,  was  published  by  the  International  Chalcographical 
Society  in  its  series  for  1886,  No.  11. 

Retberg  assigns  the  plate  to  1509;  Heller  to  1500-06;  Hausmann  after 
the  Venetian  journey  of  1506.  The  workmanship,  however,  dehcate  as  it  is, 
and  the  monogram  point  to  an  earlier  date.  The  plate  evidently  belongs  to 
the  group  formed  by  Nos.  14  to  17. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  enigmatical  of  the  prints  which  go  under  Diirer's 
name.  It  is  called  also  "  The  Great  Satyr"  (to  distinguish  it  from  "The  Little 
Satyr,"  or  "  Satyr's  Family,"  No.  37  of  this  catalogue),  "  Jealousy,"  "  The 
Effects  of  Jealousy,"  and  "  The  Great  Hercules  "  (to  avoid  confusion  with 
"  The  Great  Horse,"  No.  39,  which  seems  sometimes  to  have  been  called  "  The 
Little  Hercules").  The  title  "Hercules"  is  given  to  it  by  general  consent, 
because  Diirer  alludes  to  one  of  his  plates  by  that  name  in  his  Netherlands 
diary.  That  Springer  claims  this  title  for  the  "  Rape  of  Amymone  "  has  already 
been  stated  (No.  16).  According  to  him,  the  composition  represents  "  some 
love  afiair  of  the  gods,"  the  details  of  which  we  of  to-day  are  unable  to  define. 
Vasari  describes  it  as  "  Diana  inflicting  punishment  on  one  of  her  nymphs, 
who  is  flying  for  shelter  to  the  bosom  of  a  Satyr."  Some  modern  commen- 
tators explain  it  as  an  allegory,  in  which  the  figure  of  the  man  stands  as  the 
personification  of  cocuage, —  is,  in  fact,  a  cuckold,  marked  as  such  by  his  helmet 
in  the  shape  of  a  cock  (in  allusion  to  the  German  Hahnrei,  a  man  deceived  by 
an  unfaithful  wife)  and  the  horns  (in  allusion  to  the  German  saying  "  to  put 
horns  on  a  man's  head,"  which  makes  of  him  a  Hahnrei).  In  his  debasement 
he  even  defends  his  own  wife,  in  the  embrace  of  the  satyr,  against  Virtue,  who 
is  about  to  chastise  her.  The  scurrility  of  this  explanation  is  sufficient  to  defeat 
it.  AUihn,  in  his  attempt  to  explain  Diirer's  compositions  from  the  general 
tendency  of  his  age,  connects  it  with  the  immorality  then  prevailing.  "  Ac- 
cordingly," he  says  (p.  75),  "the  action  of  the  allegory  would  be  as  follows: 
Unchastity,  represented  by  the  satyr  and  the  reclining  naked  woman,  ought  to 
be  driven  away  ;  but  she  is  defended  by  the  evil  desires  of  the  man.  We  have 
here  a  curtain-lecture  delivered  by  Diirer  to  his  dissolute  contemporaries  in  the 
name  of  their  neglected  wives."  The  explanation,  though  more  dignified,  is 
hardly  more  satisfactory  than  the  one  first  cited.  Diirer  probably  knew  what 
he  was  about  when  he  called  his  engraving  "  Hercules,"  and  the  difficulties  it 
presents  are  due  no  doubt  to  the  confusion  of  ideas  and  the  lack  of  knowledge 
regarding  ancient  myths  alluded  to  in  the  Introduction  (p.  iv).  For  the 
attempts  to  reconcile  the  design  with  the  versions  of  the  story  of  Hercules, 
Nessus,  and  Dejaneira,  as  known  to  us,  as  well  as  for  the  evidence  that  the 


19 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 

earlier  artists  of  the  Renaissance  did  not  clearly  distinguish  between  centaurs 
and  satyrs,  see  Thausing  (I,  pp.  222,  223),  Sallet  (pp.  17-20),  and  Ephrussi 
(pp.  29,  30).  There  is  a  drawing  by  Diirer,  unhesitatingly  accepted  as  genuine 
by  all  writers  on  the  subject,  which  represents  Orpheus  attacked  by  the 
Bacchantes,  and  is  dated  1494  (see  the  facsimile.  Supplementary  Illustrations, 
No.  VI).  This  drawing  is  evidently  based  upon  an  old  Florentine  engraving 
of  the  so-called  Baldini-Botticelli  group,  representing  the  same  subject,  with 
some  differences  (see  the  facsimile  published  by  the  International  Chalcograph- 
ical  Society,  Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  V).  That  the  Florentine  en- 
graver is  the  originator  and  Diirer  the  copyist  seems  to  be  the  opinion  generally 
held,  although  the  reverse  is  stated  in  Meyer's  "  Lexikon"  (II,  p.  588).  In  its 
turn,  the  engraving  called  "Hercules"  is  again  based  on  Diirer's  drawing  of 
1494,  as  becomes  evident  from  the  figure  of  the  woman  about  to  strike,  from 
the  figure  of  the  child,  and  from  the  group  of  trees. 

18  THE  MAN  OF  SORROWS  STANDING  WITH  ARMS 
EXTENDED  — B  20;  H  450;  R  90;  M  26.— Monogram. 

Very  fine  impression.  Black  ink,  clean  wiped,  on  very  warm-toned 
paper.    Watermark,  large  bull's  head. 

Heller,  1486-1500;  Thausing  (I,  pp.  227,  228):  "The  exaggerated  anatomy, 
the  bad  drawing  of  the  head  and  eyes,  and  the  feebleness  in  the  use  of  the 
burin,  are  so  striking  that  we  are  tempted  to  put  the  work  before  the  year 
1497,  and  to  look  upon  the  monogram  in  the  corner  as  a  later  insertion."  Per 
contra:  Retberg,  about  1507;  Hausmann,  about  1512;  Middleton,  "latter 
part  of  1497."  According  to  Grimm  (Jahrbuch,  II,  p.  190),  it  suggests  the 
influence  of  Signorelli.    (See  remarks  under  No.  26.) 

\9  ST.  SEBASTIAN  TIED  TO  A  TREE.— B  55;  H  787; 

R  16;  M  27. —  Monogram  on  a  piece  of  paper. 

a.  Very  fine  impression.    Black  ink,  clean  wiped. 

b.  Not  as  rich  as  a  in  general  effect,  which  is  partly  due  to  the  whitish 
tint  of  the  paper.  Lines  duplicated  below.  From  the  Ruhl  and  Peoli 
Collections. 

Retberg,  before  1497;  Heller,  1486-1500;  Hausmann,  first  period,  and  simi- 
larly Von  Eye;  Middleton  "  in  the  latter  part  of  1497."    Grimm  (Jahrbuch,  II, 


20 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


p.  190)  says  the  figure  points  to  Signorelli.  Thausing  on  the  contrary  writes 
(I,  pp.  308, 309) :  "  The  St.  Sebastian  .  .  .  was  no  doubt  designed  directly  from 
a  model,  and  perhaps  in  rivalry  with  a  corresponding  figure  of  Barbari's  in  his 
excellent  group  of  the  '  Captives.'  Diirer  has  not,  however,  managed  to  attain 
that  finely  felt  fidelity  to  nature  which  so  favorably  distinguishes  this  engraving 
of  the  Italian,  although  he  has  recourse  to  such  little  naturalistic  expedients  as 
showing  the  hair  on  the  legs."  (See  a  reproduction  of  Barbari's  "  Captives," 
Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  VII.)    (See  remarks  under  No.  26.) 


20  ST.  SEBASTIAN  TIED  TO  A  COLUMN.— B  56;  H  783; 
R  17;  M  22. —  Monogram  on  a  piece  of  paper. 

Good  impression,  with  the  corrected  mouth.    Absolutely  clean  wiped. 
Duplicate  from  the  University  Library,  Cambridge. 

Retberg,  before  1497;  Heller,  1486-1500.  Thausing  (I,  p.  227)  places  this 
among  the  first  original  plates  done  by  Diirer.  The  character  of  the  head  and 
the  proportions  of  the  figure  strongly  resemble,  as  Thausing  remarks,  the  angels 
in  the  "Apocalypse,"  the  first  edition  of  which  was  published  in  the  year  1498. 
The  plate  is  a  puzzle,  and  it  may  be  that  it  is  not  worth  while  to  take  any 
trouble  in  regard  to  it.    (See  the  remarks  under  No.  26.) 

Bartsch  describes  two  states  of  this  plate, —  before  the  correction  of  the 
mouth  and  after  the  correction.  There  are,  however,  still  other  differences,  as 
shown  by  two  impressions  in  the  cabinet  at  Berlin.  In  the  earlier  of  these,  the 
little  triangular  spot  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner,  outside  of  the  arch,  is  filled 
with  two  systems  of  lines  crossing  one  another.  In  the  second  and  later  impres- 
sion there  is  only  one  set  of  lines  in  the  place  indicated,  following  the  curve  of 
the  arch,  and  the  whole  plate  has  been  retouched,  the  faint  old  lines  showing 
alongside  of  the  heavy  new  ones,  so  as  to  produce  somewhat  the  effect  of 
duplication.  The  outline  is  also  much  heavier,  and  shows  a  duplication,  by  a 
slip  of  the  graver,  at  about  the  middle  of  the  left  side.  On  the  right  side  a  bit 
has  been  cut  off,  so  that  less  of  the  stone  is  seen  than  in  the  early  proofs.  In 
the  retouched  impressions,  furthermore,  the  cross-hatching  on  the  cheek  of  the 
saint,  to  right  of  the  lock  of  hair  which  covers  the  ear,  has  been  carried  down  to 
below  this  lock.  There  may  even  be  a  still  earlier  state  than  these  two,  with 
the  triangular  space  left  white,  but  this  surmise  is  based  for  the  present  on  a 
reproduction  only.  These  remarks  are  not  inspired  by  a  desire  to  manufacture 
"  states."  To  the  collector  such  external  marks  of  priority  are  of  value,  more 
especially  so  long  as  prints  remain  an  object  of  trade. 

21 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


2J  THE  TURKISH  FAMILY.— B  85;  H  971;  R  12;  M  12. 

—  Monogram. 

a.  Very  fine,  brilliant  impression.  Slightly  warmish  black  ink,  clean 
wiped. 

b.  Late  impression,  from  the  worn  plate. 

Retberg,  before  1495;  Heller,  1486-1500;  Middleton,  "executed  early  in 
1496."  Thausing  (I,  p.  308)  thinks  that  Diirer,  when  he  engraved  this  design, 
must  have  had  in  mind  two  of  Jacopo  de'  Barbari's  plates,  B  10  and  11  (Kris- 
teller,  Nos.  16  and  17),  and  that  he  combined  them  in  his  own  plate.  It  is 
impossible  to  escape  the  conviction  that  this  is  an  exceedingly  far-fetched 
hypothesis.  The  great  staring  eyes  of  the  figures,  according  to  the  same  writer, 
"  betray  the  early  origin  of  the  engraving,  and  the  elegant  pose  of  the  woman's 
legs  points  to  a  foreign  inspiration."  There  is  a  family  resemblance  in  this 
Turk  to  the  one  in  the  "Five  Footsoldiers,"  etc.  (No.  3  of  this  catalogue). 
The  Turks  at  the  time  claimed  a  large  share  of  public  attention,  owing  to  their 
rapid  advance  as  conquerors,  and  such  plates  as  this  were,  therefore,  likely  to 
be  salable. 

Called  also  "  The  Oriental  and  his  Wife,"  "  The  Turk  and  his  Wife,"  and  "  The 
Wandering  Turkish  Family."    (See  remarks  under  No.  26.) 

22  THE  COOK  AND  HIS  WIFE.— B  84;  H  963;  R  10;  M  13. 

—  Monogram. 

Very  fine  impression.  Pure  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  A  trifle  blurred 
in  the  head  of  the  man,  which  seems  generally  to  be  the  case.  From  the 
Balmanno  Collection. 

Retberg,  before  1495;  Heller,  1500-06;  Middleton,  "executed  early  in 
1496."  Hausmann  deduces  from  the  workmanship  and  the  simple  treatment  of 
the  ground  that  the  plate  belongs  to  a  later  period.  The  type  of  the  figures, 
especially  of  the  woman,  and  the  monogram,  point  to  an  early  time.  Thausing 
(I,  p.  225),  in  accordance  with  his  general  theory  about  many  of  Diirer's  early 
plates,  opines  that  it  is  a  copy  after  Wolgemut.  But  it  is  difficult  to  see  why, 
if  Jacopo  de'  Barbari's  influence  is  to  be  traced  in  the  woman  in  "  The  Turkish 
Family"  (No.  21),  the  same  influence  should  not  be  seen  also  in  the  woman  in 
this  engraving. 

22 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


Called  also  "  The  Hostess  and  the  Cook,"  "  The  Cook  and  the  House- 
keeper," and  "  Mohammed  and  his  Wife,"  the  latter,  impossible  as  it  may  seem, 
"  because,"  according  to  Heller,  "  the  dove  sits  upon  the  back  of  the  cook,  and 
it  is  said  that  a  divine  dove  often  alighted  upon  his  [Mohammed's]  shoulders, 
and  communicated  to  him  his  religious  system."  Might  it  be  a  piece  of  Diirer- 
esque  humor,  to  be  interpreted  as  a  caricature  of  Mohammed,  as  a  man  given  to 
worldly  lusts,  and  therefore  thinking  of  nothing  but  cooking  and  women,  even  while 
he  is  listening  to  the  pretended  divine  message  ?    (See  remarks  under  No.  26.) 

23  THE  PEASANT  AND  HIS  WIFE.— B  83;  H  921;  R  11; 

M  14, — Monogram. 

Fine  impression,  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  Paper  rather  dull,  which  re- 
duces the  brilliancy  the  impression  would  otherwise  have.  Cut  about 
one  eighth  of  an  inch  on  right  side. 

Retberg,  before  1495;  Heller,  i486 -1500;  Middleton,  "executed  early  in 
1496." 

There  is  much  diversity  in  the  attempted  interpretation  of  this  print.  Bartsch 
says  that "  the  anger  expressed  in  the  peasant's  face,  and  his  elevated  right  hand, 
show  that  he  menaces  the  woman  who  walks  meekly  by  his  side."  Heller  fol- 
lows him,  with  the  addition  that  he  sees  in  the  companion  of  the  peasant  a  wo- 
man about  to  become  a  mother.  An  idea  similar  to  Bartsch's  is  expressed  in 
the  title  "  The  Drunken  Lansquenet,"  while,  by  way  of  contrast,  others  see  in 
the  couple  a  pair  of  "  Rustic  Lovers."  Thausing  (I,  p.  309)  adopts  the  latter 
title,  and  declares  the  print  to  be  a  skit  upon  the  conceit  of  the  peasantry,  an 
idea  elaborated  before  him  by  AUihn  (p.  79,  etc.),  who  says  that  the  pair  "  is 
about  to  step  up  to  the  dance,  and  that  the  man,  far  from  scolding,  is  on  the 
contrary  trying  to  make  himself  agreeable."  (See  also  No.  24,  and  the  remarks 
under  No.  26.) 

24  THE  THREE  PEASANTS  IN  CONVERSATION.— B  86 ; 

H  948;  R  15;  M  15. — Monogram. 

a.  A  briUiant  impression,  as  the  phrase  goes,  but  really  somewhat  too 
full,  although  clean  wiped.    Pure  black  ink.    From  the  Fisher  Collection. 

b.  An  even  finer  impression  than  a,  because  not  so  full.  Its  brilliancy 
is,  however,  again  somewhat  impaired,  like  that  of  No.  23,  by  the  dull- 

23 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


ness  of  the  paper.    Pure  black  ink.    Duplicate  from  the  Kunsthalle  at 
Hamburg. 

Retberg,  about  1495;  Heller,  1500-06;  Middleton,  "  executed  early  in  1496." 
Allihn  says  the  print  is  dated  15 19,  which  is  a  mistake. 

Like  the  preceding  plate,  this  is  supposed  to  be  a  skit  upon  the  conceit  of  the 
peasantry.  "The  same  ironical  tone  is  apparent  in  the  three  peasants  in  con- 
versation," says  Thausing  (I,  p.  309),  "  one  of  whom  holds  a  basket  of  eggs,  and 
another  has  a  sack  thrown  over  his  shoulders  and  is  leaning  upon  a  somewhat 
damaged  sword;  no  doubt  they  are  discussing  the  affairs  of  the  universe."  To 
similar  purpose  Allihn  (p.  90) :  "  They  wear  spurs,  swords,  and  belted  tunics,  a 
costume  which  is  not  theirs  by  right,  and  which  they  have  borrowed  from  the 
wardrobe  of  the  knights.  Nevertheless,  the  peasant  crops  out  everywhere.  The 
scabbards  of  their  swords  are  defective,  and  here  and  there  a  naked  knee  peeps 
through  the  hose.  Of  course  it  is  only  a  bagatelle  that  is  in  question,  but  they 
discuss  it  with  fervor,  as  if  the  weal  of  the  Fatherland  depended  upon  it."  The 
attempts  of  the  oppressed  peasants  to  better  their  miserable  condition  were  a  ^ 
topic  of  interest  at  the  time.  As  early  as  1476  risings  occurred  in  South  Ger- 
many, and  these  finally  culminated  in  the  Peasants'  War  in  1525.  As  usual, 
the  just  demands  of  the  oppressed  were  met  by  scorn  and  derision,  and  it  is 
likely  enough  that  Diirer,  like  other  artists,  tried  to  make  money  out  of  this  sad 
condition  of  things.  If  we  regret  this  side  of  Durer's  activity,  we  may,  how- 
ever, temper  our  regret  by  the  following  considerations,  advanced  by  Allihn 
(p.  88) :  "  In  these  scenes  of  peasant  life  Diirer  also  is  in  curious  discord  with 
himself  It  is  true,  he  joins  in  the  general  derision  of  the  peasants,  he  engraves 
his  plate  for  those  who  found  pleasure  in  testing  their  superior  wit  at  the  expense 
of  the  peasants,  and  who  would  have  been  as  contented,  if  not  more  so,  with 
the  most  scurrilous  caricature,  but  it  was  impossible  for  Diirer  to  demand  such 
a  production  of  his  genius.  He  draws  a  character-picture  of  superior  comic 
qualities,  but  not  a  libel, —  yea,  even  more  than  this,  he  executes  his  gerire  repre- 
sentation with  the  same  loving  care  as  his  most  beautiful  Madonna."  This  ap- 
plies more  especially  to  the  "Dancing  Peasants"  (No.  73  of  this  catalogue), 
but  the  humor  is  claimed  for  all  of  Diirer's  similar  subjects.  To  our  very  mod- 
ern eyes  there  is,  indeed,  little  or  no  humor  in  these  groups.  It  must  not  be 
forgotten,  however,  that  the  people  of  the  fifteenth  century  were  differently  con- 
stituted from  ourselves,  and  were  delighted  by  what  to  us  would  be  utterly  un- 
interesting, as  the  child  finds  amusement  where  the  grown-up  man  finds  only 
ennui. 

Passavant  says  that  the  plate  still  exists,  having  been  bought  in  the  year  1852, 
in  a  badly  worn  condition,  by  the  Prince  Dolgorouky.  This,  however,  does  not 
tally  with  Heller  (p.  492,  No.  948).    (See  remarks  under  No.  26.) 


24 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


25  ST.  ANN  AND  THE  VIRGIN.— B  29;   H  483;  R  44; 

M  28. —  Mono'gram  on  a  square  tablet. 

Fine  impression  on  deep-toned  paper.  Black  ink,  practically  clean 
wiped,  with  only  very  little  tinting,  probably  accidental,  in  the  lower 
part.    From  the  Firmin-Didot  Collection. 

Retberg, before  1500;  Heller,  1486-1500;  Middleton,  "  1498  or  early  in  1499." 

The  subject  is  in  doubt.  The  figure  to  the  right  may  be  the  Virgin  holding 
the  infant  Christ,  while  St.  Ann  stands  to  the  left.  Bartsch  describes  the  group 
as  St.  Ann  touching  the  head  of  the  infant  Virgin,  held  in  the  arms  of  a  woman 
with  flying  hair.  According  to  Retberg,  St.  Mary  is  "  so  wanting  in  nobility  of 
form  and  pose  that  one  is  tempted  to  take  her  for  a  low-grade  servant,  and  the 
child  in  her  arms  for  the  infant  Virgin."  Hausmann,  on  the  contrary,  thinks 
the  print  " lovely."  Thausing  (I,  p.  309)  speaks  of  the  subject  as  "a  simple, 
homely  scene,  such  as  might  have  been  accidentahy  suggested ;  indeed,  the  two 
women  standing  in  bourgeois  attire  would  hardly  be  recognized  for  what  they 
are  but  for  the  appearance  of  the  Almighty  Father  in  the  clouds."  As  Diirer 
was  evidently  engaged  at  the  time  in  studies  from  the  nude  and  from  life  among 
peasants,  etc.,  it  is  quite  possible  that  he  utilized  one  of  these  studies,  merely 
adding  the  vision  in  the  sky  to  adapt  it  for  sale  as  a  popular  religious  image. 
(See  remarks  under  No.  26.) 

26  THE  STANDARD-BEARER.— B  87 ;  H  977 ;  R  43  ;  M  30. 

— Monogram  on  a  tablet. 

Very  beautiful  impression,  black  ink,  absolutely  clean  wiped, 

Retberg,  before  1500;  Heller,  1500-06;  Hausmann,  after  1506;  Thausing 
(I,  p.  234) :  "  Evidently  an  early  original  work  of  Diirer's,  the  St.  Andrew's  Cross 
of  the  Golden  Fleece  on  the  standard,  which  belonged  to  Maximilian  I  as  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  pointing  without  doubt  to  the  war  of  1499." 
Called  also  "  The  Ensign." 

A  possible,  and  perhaps  not  improbable,  reason  for  the  fact  that  these  small 
plates  of  rehgious  and  popular  imagery,  Nos.  18-26,  follow  immediately  upon 
the  group  of  larger  plates,  Nos.  14-17,  which  deal  with  the  nude  and  antique 
myths,  has  been  suggested  in  the  Introduction  (p.  xviii),  but  it  is  more  difficult  to 
say  whether  they  really  belong  together  in  point  of  time,  at  least  in  so  far  as  the 


12 


25 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


first  three  of  the  group  are  concerned.  It  will  have  been  noticed  that  opinions 
as  to  the  place  to  be  assigned  to  "The  Man  of  Sorrows,"  No.  i8,  differ  widely, 
the  years  named  ranging  from  before  1497  to  about  1512.  It  must  be  confessed 
that  many  good  arguments  may  be  brought  forward  in  favor  of  this  latter  date. 
It  would  bring  the  plate  into  close  connection  with  the  "  Little  Passion,"  with 
which  it  conforms  in  height,  although  it  does  not  share  with  this  series  its  pic- 
torial completeness,  and  in  its  handling  seems  to  be  earlier.  Thausing's  conten- 
tion, that  there  is  "  feebleness  in  the  use  of  the  burin,"  cannot  be  allowed,  how- 
ever. One  might  rather  speak  of  summary  treatment.  Similar  doubts  may  be 
raised  in  the  case  of  No.  19,  "St.  Sebastian  tied  to  a  Tree."  In  size  and  in 
execution  it  is  identical  with  No.  18,  and  yet  the  opinions  expressed  in  regard  to 
it  are  unanimous  in  placing  it  early.  Acknowledging  all  the  doubts,  these  plates 
have  been  placed  here  in  obedience  to  the  majority  of  previous  writers  rather 
than  from  positive  conviction.  No.  20,  finally,  offers  quite  as  many  difficulties, 
but  of  a  different  order.  That  it  has  hardly  any  relationship  to  either  No.  19  or 
No.  21  is  evident  at  first  sight.  It  is  conceived  in  an  entirely  different  spirit, 
even  to  the  proportions  of  the  body,  which  may  be  called  disproportioned,  es- 
pecially as  to  size  of  head.  Where  is  it  to  be  placed  then  ?  General  consider- 
ations, based  on  the  conception  and  the  workmanship,  would  tempt  one  to  place 
it  close  to  No.  7,  "The  Penance  of  St.  John  Chrysostom,"  but  the  monogram 
forbids  that.  To  be  sure,  after  the  general  character  of  this  "trademark"  of 
Diirer's  has  once  been  settled,  too  much  reliance  must  not  be  placed  on  the  fact 
whether  the  A  is  more  or  less  spreading  on  top ;  nevertheless,  the  monogram 
on  this  "  St.  Sebastian,"  as  well  as  its  position  on  a  sheet  of  paper,  would  be 
quite  out  of  keeping  on  the  very  earliest  of  Diirer's  plates.  Considering,  more- 
over, its  resemblance  to  some  of  the  figures  in  the  "  Apocalypse,"  it  seemed  best, 
—  for  want  of  a  better  place !  —  to  assign  it  to  one  of  the  very  last  years  of  the 
fifteenth  century.  It  may  be,  however,  that  there  is  a  much  easier  way  of  dis- 
posing of  this  plate, —  by  rejecting  it  altogether.  The  incongruities  it  offers,  in 
the  design,  in  the  workmanship,  in  the  character  of  the  monogram  (which  finds 
a  counterpart  only  in  No.  36  of  this  catalogue),  are  sufficient  to  arouse  suspi- 
cions which  it  would  be  difficult  to  reconcile  before  a  legal  tribunal.  The 
bad  drawing  of  the  mouth  in  the  first  state,  its  correction  in  the  second, 
the  changes  made  in  the  upper  left  corner, —  all  these  are  quite  foreign  to 
Durer,  and  might  be  made  to  tell  as  evidences  of  forgery.  Certainly  Diirer's 
oeuvre  would  lose  nothing  if  the  plate  were  thrown  out.  As  regards  Nos.  21-26, 
we  are  fortunately  no  longer  beset  by  such  an  array  of  doubts.  They  evidently 
belong  together,  and  in  the  sequence  in  which  they  are  here  arranged  they 
show  a  steady  development  of  the  same  method, —  the  somewhat  set  regularity 
of  line,  heretofore  noticeable  only  in  No.  7,  but  which  becomes  more  and 
more  evident  in  Diirer's  work  as  the  years  pass  on. 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


The  impressions  from  all  these  plates  in  the  public  collections  of  Paris,  Lon- 
don, Dresden,  and  Berlin  are  printed  in  the  old  style, —  that  is  to  say,  in  pure 
black  ink,  clean  wiped, —  such  tinting  as  there  is  being  evidently  accidental. 

27  THE  LADY  AND  THE  LANSQUENET.— B  82;  H  991 ; 

R  20;  M  19. — Monogram. 

a.  Very  fine  dark  impression,  pure  black  ink,  quite  clean  wiped.  Pa- 
per somewhat  soiled  and  mended.    Cut  above  and  below. 

b.  Beautiful  silvery  impression,  very  delicate.  Clean  wiped,  except 
slight  tinting  in  the  saddlecloth  and  on  ground  to  left.  Watermark,  high 
crown,  Hausmann,  No.  21. 

c.  Late  impression,  from  the  worn  plate. 

d.  Copy  by  Jerome  Wierix ;  Alvin,  No.  1577.  Second  state,  marked 
"iE  12,"  indicating  that  it  was  done  when  the  engraver  was  twelve  years 
old. 

The  two  impressions  a  and  b  are  very  interesting,  as  showing  differences  due  to 
printing.  The  plate  was  evidently  still  in  the  very  best  condition  when  both 
these  impressions  were  taken,  but  for  b  a  softer  ink  was  used,  which,  in  con- 
junction with  very  careful  clean-wiping  and  real  "  tinting,"  produced  the  delicacy. 
Impression  b  must,  therefore,  be  later  than  a ;  and  it  points  to  the  general  con- 
clusion that,  contrary  to  the  hitherto  received  opinion,  the  silvery  impressions 
are  later  than  the  dark  ones.  The  proofs  in  Paris,  London,  and  Dresden  are  all 
clean  wiped,  while  the  one  in  Berlin  shows  tinting  in  the  saddlecloth,  like  b. 

This  plate  belongs  to  the  same  group  with  Nos.  21-26,  but  the  elaborate 
landscape  background  makes  it  more  complete  pictorially,  and  gives  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  greater  variety  and  richness,  despite  the  uniformity  in  its  delicate 
graver  work,  which  it  shares  with  its  predecessors. 

Called  also  "  The  Lady  on  Horseback."  The  subject  might  simply  be  classed 
with  the  studies  from  life  before  alluded  to,  but  the  attempt  has  been  made  to 
invest  it  with  a  deeper  interest.  Heller  thinks  "  the  pair  is  on  its  way  to  a 
tournament."  According  to  Allihn  (pp.  71,  72)  "  the  subject  in  itself  is  perfectly 
clear;  it  is  the  old  story,  treated  hundreds  of  times,  of  the  lady  in  love  with  her 
squire."  He  admits  that  Durer  probably  desired  merely  to  draw  a  young  man- 
at-arms  and  a  lady  on  horseback,  in  the  picturesque  costume  of  the  time,  but 
argues  that  the  moralizing  tendency  of  his  age  compelled  him  to  give  a  meaning 

27 


> 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


to  the  subject.  He  therefore  made  it  a  protest  "  against  the  vices  of  the  nobil- 
ity, a  tendency  which  must  have  secured  to  him  the  applause  of  the  bourgeois 
circles  for  which  he  worked." 

28  JUSTICE.— B  79;  H  826;  R  51  ;  M  17.— Monogram. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  on  whitish  paper. 

b.  Very  rich  impression,  not  quite  as  transparent  as  a.  The  fine  warm 
color  of  the  paper  helps  the  effect  of  richness.  The  ink  left  standing  on 
the  plate  is  not  "  tinting,"  properly  so  called.  The  "  tint "  is  spotty,  and 
here  and  there  produces  a  sort  of  fringe,  extending  outside  of  the  darks. 
From  the  St.  Aubyn,  Maberley,  and  Fisher  Collections. 

The  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin  are  all  printed  in  fine 
black  ink,  clean  wiped,  only  the  one  in  Dresden  showing  a  very  little  tinting. 

Judging  by  workmanship,  monogram,  and  size  of  plate,  this  print  stands  in 
close  relation  to  those  immediately  preceding,  although  it  is  more  elaborate  in 
execution.  Retberg  and  Thausing,  before  1505;  Heller,  1500-06;  Haus- 
mann,  after  1506;  Middleton,  1496.  The  date  last  named  is  certainly  too  early. 
It  would  place  the  plate  before  the  "  Four  Naked  Women  "  (No.  14),  dated 
1497. 

Often  called  "  Nemesis,"  but  Diirer  himself  evidently  applied  this  name  to 
the  large  print,  No.  33  of  this  catalogue.  According  to  Thausing  (I,  p.  310) 
we  have  here  the  Judge  of  the  World,  "  put  together  at  random  from  a  variety 
of  apocalyptic  reminiscences."  The  sentiment  of  the  "Apocalypse"  designs 
is  certainly  very  strongly  felt  in  it.  A  preliminary  drawing  is  reproduced  by 
Lippmann,  No.  203. 

29  THE  VIRGIN  NURSING  THE  CHILD.— B  34;  H  564;  R 

52;  M  36, —  Monogram.    The  second  state  has  the 

DATE,    1503,   ON  A  TABLET. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  rich  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  except  some 
tinting  in  the  lower  part.  Soiled,  torn,  and  mended,  with  false  margin, 
and  retouched  with  India  ink  all  around.  With  the  date.  From  the 
Balmanno  Collection. 

b.  Copy  by  Jan  Wierix ;  Alvin,  No.  624,  second  state. 

28 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


The  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  and  Dresden  (Cabinet),  and  one  of  those  in 
Berlin,  are  all  printed  in  fine  black  ink,  generally  speaking  clean  wiped,  yet  with 
more  or  less  tinting  in  the  close  work.  In  the  Collection  Frederic  Augustus  II, 
also  in  Dresden,  there  is  an  impression  in  warmish  ink,  very  clean  wiped,  and 
therefore  delicate.  The  face,  however,  is  defective,  which  may  be  due  to  the 
wearing  of  the  plate,  or  to  the  wiping  of  the  ink  out  of  the  finest  and  shallowest 
lines.  Of  the  three  impressions  in  Berlin, —  one  in  the  first  state,  two  in  the 
second, —  the  two  latter,  although  printed  in  black  ink,  are  likewise  defective 
in  the  face. 

In  the  first  state,  the  tablet  with  the  date  and  the  tree  on  which  it  hangs  are 
wanting.  It  has  been  conjectured  that  these  evidences  of  the  second  state  were 
artificially  removed  from  the  impression  in  the  Berlin  Cabinet,  but  careful  ex- 
amination fails  to  disclose  evidences  of  scratching. 

The  date  on  this  plate, —  1503, —  is  the  second  earliest  to  be  found  on  Diirer's 
engravings,  the  earliest  being  1497,  on  the  "Four  Naked  Women"  (No.  14). 
It  is  an  unsatisfactory  and  a  puzzling  plate,  to  which  it  is  difficult  to  assign  a 
place,  in  spite  of  its  date.  In  closeness  of  work,  and  in  pictorial  effect,  except 
for  the  sky,  which  is  simply  white  paper,  it  strikes  one  as  a  forerunner  of  the 
"  Little  Passion  "  (Nos.  46-61).  But  it  is  not  as  satisfactory  artistically,  and  is 
more  archaic  m  feeling.  The  line  work  in  the  face  is  so  mechanical  that  doubts 
arise  in  the  mind  as  to  its  authenticity.  The  most  satisfactory  way  to  dispose 
of  it  would  be  to  reject  it  as  a  forgery,  together  with  the  "  St.  Sebastian 
tied  to  a  Column"  (No.  20),  but  it  would  require  courage  to  do  that!  Vasari 
mentions  it  (Mrs.  Foster's  translation,  III,  p.  487) :  "  In  the  year  1503,  Albert 
Diirer  sent  forth  to  the  world  a  small  figure  of  the  Madonna,  in  which  he  sur- 
passed both  Martin  and  himself,"  and  there  are  copies  by  Zoan  Andrea,  Jan 
Wierix,  Ouerrat  (Cologne,  sixteenth  century),  and  others.  But  the  forgers 
were  early  at  work,  and  the  fact  that  Diirer  "  surpassed"  himself,  that  is  to  say, 
that  the  plate  is  more  "  set "  in  workmanship  than  any  of  his  other  plates,  as 
well  as  the  two  "states,"  and  the  difficulty  ofreconciUng  the  workmanship  with 
the  other  plates  of  the  same  period,  are  all  against  it.  The  place  apart  which 
it  holds  is  expressed  even  in  Mr.  Cust's  high  praise  (p.  36) :  "The  Virgin  and 
Child  [of  1503]  is  one  of  the  sweetest  and  tenderest  renderings  of  the  subject 
which  Diirer  produced,  and  also  one  of  his  best  engravings." 


29 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


30  THE  COAT- OF- ARMS  WITH  THE  SKULL.— B  loi ;  H 

I022  ;  R  53;  M  34. — Monogram  on  a  tablet,  dated  1503. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  black  ink,  a  trifle  too  full  in  the  darks,  on 
almost  white  paper.     From  the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch. 

b.  Impression  very  similar  to  a,  perhaps  a  trifle  less  full,  and  on  warmer 
paper,  and  therefore  softer  in  effect.    From  the  Fisher  Collection, 

c.  Again  very  similar  to  the  preceding  impressions,  but  on  paper 
somewhat  darker  in  tone. 

The  three  very  similar  impressions  exhibited  are  specially  interesting,  as  showing 
the  difference  in  effect  produced  by  slight  variations  in  the  tone  of  the  paper. 
There  is  no  tinting  in  either  of  the  three,  but  proofs  with  tinting  in  the  ground 
and  in  the  close  work  on  the  left  side  are  frequently  met  with.  The  fine  impres- 
sions in  Paris,  London,  and  Berlin  (this  latter  rather  too  full,  so  that  the  closest 
work  in  the  helmet  and  its  crest  is  filled)  all  have  tinting  in  the  lower  left  cor- 
ner. In  Dresden,  on  the  contrary,  there  is  an  absolutely  clean-wiped  impres- 
sion, but  not  quite  sound  in  parts.  Of  the  two  impressions  in  the  Gray  Col- 
lection, Boston,  the  best  also  shows  some  tinting  in  lower  left  corner.  It  is 
necessary  that  the  proofs  from  this  plate  should  not  be  too  full  in  the  helmet,  as 
the  "  brilliancy  "  gained  causes  a  loss  in  the  metallic  effect. 

The  handling  is  of  Diirer's  firmest,  akin  to  that  displayed  in  the  "  Little  Pas- 
sion." It  is  quite  simple,  however,  and  the  varied  effect  produced  is  again  due, 
as  pointed  out  in  several  earlier  plates,  to  variety  of  forms  and  objects,  rather 
than  to  variety  of  texture. 

Called  also  "The  Coat-of-Arms  of  Death"  and  "The  Dying  Bride."  A 
much  discussed  print,  which,  however  difficult  it  may  be  to-day  to  follow  the 
wandering  fancy  of  the  artist,  it  would  seem  safe  to  connect  in  a  general  way 
with  the  idea  of"  The  Dance  of  Death,"  although  the  "  wild  man  "  is  evidendy 
not  a  personification  of  Death,  but  a  satyr,  as  his  right  leg,  visible  to  the  left, 
clearly  shows.  Frimmel,  however,  objects  to  this  explanation,  but  without  be- 
ing able  to  suggest  anything  better.  Middleton  says  of  this  print  and  its  mate, 
No.  31,  that  they  are  "  probably  symbolical,  the  one  (i.  e.  No.  31)  of  the  antici- 
pated success,  the  other  (/.  e.  No.  30)  of  the  failure  of  the  campaign  into  Switz- 
erland." This  suggestion  is  not,  however,  Hkely  to  be  generally  accepted.  The 
Swiss  war  took  place  in  the  year  1499,  and  "  The  Coat-of-Arms  with  the  Cock  " 
would  therefore  have  to  be  placed  in  that  year,  or  earlier. 


30 


\ 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


3J  THE  COAT-OF-ARMS  WITH  THE  COCK— B  loo; 
H  1020;  R  198;  M  33. — Monogram. 

a.  Very  fine,  brilliant  impression,  black  ink.  A  trifle  full  in  the  closest 
work.    From  the  Brentano-Birckenstock  Collection. 

b.  Very  fine  impression.  Warmish  ink,  more  open  than  a.  Water- 
mark, very  curious  and  complicated,  similar  in  outline  to  Hausmann,  No. 
44.    From  the  Wilson  Collection. 

The  choice  among  impressions  dififering  as  do  those  here  shown  must  necessarily 
be  a  question  of  taste.  Most  assuredly  b  shows  the  work  better,  and  is  more 
harmonious  than  a,  but  the  warmer  ink  deprives  it  somewhat  of  "  strength  "  and 
"brilliancy," — if  these  should  be  the  qualities  sought.  It  is  more  than  likely, 
also,  that  the  black  impressions  are  the  earlier  ones.  The  fine  impressions  in 
Paris  and  London  are  printed  in  black  ink,  not  quite  clean  wiped.  There  is  also 
a  very  fine,  wonderfully  clean-wiped  impression,  showing  every  line  clearly  and 
distinctly,  in  the  Kunsthalle  at  Bremen,  but  unfortunately  the  paper  has  turned 
quite  yellow  and  is  spotted. 

"  The  Coat-of-Arms  with  the  Cock "  has  always  been  admired  as  one  of 
Diirer's  most  delicate  pieces  of  engraving.  Retberg  assigns  it  to  about  1512 ; 
Heller,  1507-14.  According  to  Thausing  it  "belongs  probably  to  the  same 
time  with  B  loi,"  i.  e.  "  The  Coat-of-Arms  with  the  Skull,"  which  is  dated  1503. 
Middleton's  theory  (see  No.  31)  would  throw  it  back  to  1499  at  the  latest.  It  is 
quite  likely  that  it  is  even  later  than  1503.  In  its  delicacy,  it  would  harmonize 
well  with  the  "  Apollo  and  Diana,"  No.  36,  or  the  two  "  St.  George,"  Nos.  42  and 
43,  one  of  which  bears  the  date  1505,  altered  to  1508.  However  that  may  be,  it 
certainly  belongs  to  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  it  has  therefore 
been  left  in  the  company  of  its  mate,  with  which  it  has  been  so  long  associated. 

Diirer  drew  many  coats-of-arms  for  bookplates,  etc.,  but  this  one  seems  to 
be  purely  a  creation  of  fancy.  Heller  suggests  that  it  may  be  intended  "  sym- 
bolically for  the  family  of  Fidelity  and  Watchfulness,  which,  however,  seems 
evidently  to  have  died  out."   For  Middleton's  historical  hypothesis,  see  No.  30. 


31 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


32  ST.  EUSTACE.— B  57;  H  727;  R  127;  M  29.— Monogram 

ON  A  SQUARE   PIECE  OF  PAPER. 

a.  Delicate  impression,  with  the  darks  all  open,  but  a  trifle  unsound  in 
parts,  and  some  tinting  of  the  accidental  kind  in  the  lower  corners.  Very 
curiously  complicated  watermark,  differing  from  all  those  figured  by 
Hausmann. 

b.  Brilliant  impression,  the  closely  worked  parts  fairly  open,  otherwise 
clean  wiped.    Watermark,  high  crown,  Hausmann,  No.  4. 

c.  Very  similar  in  quality  to  b,  but  some  of  the  darkest  shadows  filled. 

d.  Very  fine,  but  dark  impression,  even  in  the  distance.  Watermark, 
high  crown,  Hausmann,  No.  4. 

e.  Modern  copy. 

The  four  impressions  exhibited  are  all  good,  and  they  have  been  placed  in  the 
order  chosen,  simply  to  show  the  gradation  in  the  general  effect.  Impression  a, 
—  which  may  possibly  be  later  than  the  others, —  is  the  most  delicate,  and  the 
progression  is  toward  darkness,  or,  as  some  collectors  would  be  inclined  to  say, 
toward  "brilliancy."  Again,  as  in  the  case  of  No.  31,  that  is  a  matter  of  taste. 
Evidently,  however,  so  far  as  the  distance  is  concerned,  delicacy  is  preferable  to 
brilliancy.  In  a  the  distance  holds  its  place  fairly  well ;  in  c  it  is  as  prominent 
as  the  foreground.  As  to  the  printing,  there  is  no  conscious  tinting  in  any  of 
these  impressions.  The  ink  left  standing,  for  instance,  toward  both  the  lower 
corners  in  a,  is  there  by  accident.  In  principle,  the  impression  is  clean  wiped, 
even  in  the  closest  parts.  The  other  impressions  are  fuller  and  some  of  the  darks 
are  filled,  but  there  is  no  tinting.  All  four  impressions  are  printed  with  black  ink. 
London  has  a  brilliant  black  impression,  but  very  much  smudged  in  parts.  In 
Dresden  there  is  a  fine  clean-wiped  impression,  also  in  pure  black  ink.  The 
two  impressions  in  Berlin  differ.  One  is  in  a  cold  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  and 
therefore  open  throughout,  the  other  is  in  a  warmer  black,  with  much  tinting  in 
the  close  work,  especially  in  the  landscape  distance,  including  the  rock  on 
which  the  castle  stands.  The  contrasts  are  subdued  therefore,  and  the  back- 
ground acts  more  as  a  mass,  while  the  warmer  color  gives  a  more  agreeable 
tone  than  the  cold  black  of  the  impression  first  described. 

Retberg,  about  1509;  Heller,  1507-14;  Thausing:  "The  completion  of  the 
engraving  cannot  be  placed  much  earHer  than  the  year  1504,  although  it  was 
certainly  finished  before  the  '  Nemesis.'  "   Middleton  stands  alone  in  assigning  it 

32 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


"  to  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1498,  or  early  in  1499."  The  delicacy  of  the  ex- 
ecution, and  the  evident  prominence  given  to  the  horse,  would  seem  to  bear  out 
Thausing's  suggestion,  or  to  point  even  to  a  somewhat  later  period.  About  this 
time  Durer  was  specially  interested  in  the  horse.  There  are  horses  in  this  plate, 
in  the  "Little  Horse"  (No.  38),  the  "Great  Horse"  (No.  39),  both  of  these 
dated  1505,  and  the  "  St.  George  on  Horseback"  (No.  42),  in  which  Diirer 
changed  the  date  from  1505  to  1508.  Gust  (p.  50)  places  it  "soon  after  his 
[Diirer's]  return  from  Italy,"  which  would  date  it  about  1507  to  1508,  because 
he  finds  a  resemblance  to  one  of  Diirer's  drawings  marked  "  Ein  Welsch 
Schloss."  This  proves  nothing,  however,  unless  the  first  journey  to  Italy  should 
be  rejected.  Of  the  horses  in  the  plates  named  that  of  St.  Eustace  is  the  most 
wooden  of  all,  and  the  "  Little  Horse "  is  not  much  better,  while  the  two 
later  ones  are  noble  beasts  and  much  better  posed. 

Called  also  "  St.  Hubert."  This  is  a  mistake,  however,  as  Diirer  himself,  in 
the  Netherlands  Diary,  repeatedly  speaks  of  the  engraving  as  "  St.  Eustace." 
The  legend  of  the  saint  is  as  follows :  Eustace,  or  Placidus  by  his  heathen  name, 
was  a  valorous  general  under  the  Emperor  Trajan,  and  a  passionate  hunter. 
While  out  hunting  once,  Christ  crucified  appeared  to  him  between  the  ant- 
lers of  a  stag  and  spoke  to  him,  whereupon  he  and  his  whole  family  were  con- 
verted. A  similar  story  is  told  of  St.  Hubert,  hence  the  confusion.  This  being 
the  largest  plate  by  Diirer,  and  most  minutely  finished,  the  older  writers  praise  it 
extravagantly,  the  only  criticism  ventured  upon  being  that  the  background 
might  be  lighter.  Later  opinions  do  not  quite  agree  with  this  high  estimate, 
and  Thausing  is  correct  in  saying  (I,  p.  300)  that  "  invention  and  arrangement 
are  far  surpassed  by  minute  delicacy  of  technic  and  by  careful  execution  of 
each  separate  detail."    The  horse  especially  has  been  severely  criticized. 


33  NEMESIS— B  77;  H  839;  R  124;  M  32.— Monogram  on  a 

TABLET. 

a.  Very  beautiful,  brilliant  impression.  Black  ink,  generally  speaking 
clean  wiped,  filled  up  only  here  and  there  in  the  very  darkest,  most 
closely  worked  parts.  The  perpendicular  scratch  under  the  bridge  still 
fresh,  and  therefore  showing  bur.  Watermark,  high  crown,  Hausmann, 
No.  4.    From  the  St.  John  Dent  and  the  Holford  Collections. 

b.  Good  early  impression,  also  with  the  fresh  scratch,  and  on  the  same 
paper  as  a.    Too  much  ink  has,  however,  been  left  standing  in  the  lower 

13  33 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


part,  so  that  the  closely  worked  parts,  especially  in  the  flying  drapery 
and  on  the  back  of  the  figure,  are  filled. 

These  two  impressions  are  very  instructive  as  showing  what  the  printer  can  do 
with  a  plate.  The  old  clean-wipe  method  is  exemplified  by  a,  while  b  is  an 
early  attempt  at  tinting,  but  not,  as  yet,  quite  successful.  A  trifle  cleaner 
wiping  would  have  made  b  one  of  the  most  beautiful  impressions  in  existence. 
As  it  is,  it  illustrates  the  transition  period  of  printing  as  practised  by  Durer  and 
his  printers, —  the  development  of  "  smudging,"  at  first  accidental,  into  "  tint- 
ing," completely  under  the  control  of  the  printer.  The  period  is  approaching 
when  this  tinting  is  steadily  and  successfully  applied.  In  London  there  is  an 
impression,  with  the  scratch,  in  very  black  ink,  somewhat  similar  to  b, —  brilliant, 
but  rather  muddy.  Not  only  is  there  much  ink  left  standing  in  the  fine  work 
on  the  back  of  the  figure,  but  there  is  tinting  also  in  the  broad  lights  on 
the  breast  and  the  right  upper  arm,  as  well  as  below  the  knee  on  the  right  leg 
of  the  figure,  on  the  flying  drapery,  and  in  the  right  lower  corner.  The 
impression  in  Paris  is  framed.  Dresden  has  a  very  fine  impression,  with 
the  scratch,  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  Berlin  is  the  fortunate  possessor  of 
two  impressions,  one  before  the  scratch,  one  with  it.  The  first  is  very  deli- 
cate, printed  in  an  ink  which  may  hardly  be  called  warm  and  is  yet  far 
from  being  cold,  quite  clean  and  close  wiped,  so  that  even  the  closest,  iriost 
delicate  lines  in  the  rocks,  including  the  cross-hatchings  on  the  left,  are  seen 
quite  clearly.  It  may  be  noted  that  the  perpendicular  press  scratches  through 
the  floating  drapery  at  the  back  of  the  figure,  which  are  seen  in  some  impres- 
sions, are  present  also  in  this  "  first  state."  The  second  impression  is  also  very 
good,  but  much  fuller  and  therefore  not  as  delicate  as  the  first  one.  Although 
practically  clean  wiped,  the  close  parts  are  not  as  clear,  owing  to  the  fullness 
of  the  lines.  This  shows  not  only  in  the  rocks,  but  also  in  the  wings,  the 
drapery,  and  the  figure  itself  As  the  paper  is  tolerably  white,  the  contrasts  are 
rather  unpleasantly  strong.  Nevertheless,  the  impression  is  a  very  fine  one  of 
its  kind.    The  ink  used  for  both  impressions  seems  to  be  about  the  same. 

The  impressions  from  this  plate,  without  and  with  the  perpendicular  scratch 
under  the  bridge,  have  been  dignified  by  being  called  "first"  and  "second 
state."  The  scratch  is,  however,  nothing  but  an  accident,  which  must  have 
happened  after  only  a  very  few  proofs  had  been  taken,  for  the  proofs  without  it 
are  of  the  rarest  of  the  rare.  Of  the  great  public  collections  it  would  seem 
that  only  the  Berlin  Cabinet,  and,  according  to  Passavant,  the  Staedel  Institute 
in  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  have  these  very  early  impressions.  The  curious  in 
such  matters  will  note  the  dotted  lines  in  and  above  the  clouds  on  both  sides. 
They  show  how  independently  Diirer  worked.  Having  transferred  the  design 
to  the  plate  in  faint  lines  and  dots  (see  the  facsimiles  of  unfinished  trial  proofs 


34 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


under  Nos.  17  and  34),  he,  nevertheless,  did  not  quite  strictly  adhere  to  them, 
but  made  such  changes  as  suggested  themselves  to  him  during  the  progress  of 
the  work.  He  might,  of  course,  have  removed  these  dots  with  very  little 
trouble,  but,  with  the  carelessness  of  the  artist,  he  did  not  think  it  worth  his 
while  to  bother  about  them. 

Heller  suggests  1507-14;  Retberg,  1509;  Thausing,  about  1504;  Middleton, 
relying  on  the  Swiss  war  theory,  1499-1503.  About  1504  is  probably  the  safest 
estimate.  The  execution  tallies  with  the  delicacy  and  care  bestowed  on  all  of 
the  plates  of  this  period.  The  remarkable  difference  between  the  uncompro- 
mising realism  of  tliis  figure  and  that  of  the  idealistic  Eve  immediately  follow- 
ing (No.  34)  does  not  stand  in  the  way.  Diirer  vacillated  between  nature  and 
theory.  A  very  similar  example  is  furnished  by  No.  14,  the  naturalistic  "  Four 
Naked  Women,"  followed  by  the  idealized  figures  in  Nos.  15-17,  presuming, 
of  course,  that  the  sequence  here  adopted  is  correct. 

There  is  a  pen-and-ink  sketch  of  the  "  Nemesis "  in  the  British  Museum, 
which  Springer  (p.  165)  and  Ephrussi  (p.  33)  accept.  Lippman,  however,  does 
not  reproduce  it. 

This  print  is  generally  called  "  The  Great  Fortune,"  to  distinguish  it  from 
"The  Little  Fortune"  (No.  9  of  this  catalogue),  but  there  is  no  doubt  that 
Diirer  himself  called  it  "  Nemesis."  The  strangeness  of  the  conception,  and 
the  incongruity  of  the  various  elements  of  the  design, —  the  extreme  realism 
of  the  repulsively  ugly  body,  the  wings,  the  globe,  etc., —  have  given  rise  to 
a  number  of  most  ridiculous  attempts  at  explanation,  connecting  the  figure 
itself  with  Diirer's  wife,  the  cup  with  his  father,  who  was  a  goldsmith,  the  bridle 
with  his  uncle,  who  was  a  saddler,  and  the  landscape  with  his  father's  birth- 
place, Eytas  in  Hungary,  all  of  which  must  be  dismissed  with  a  mere  allusion, 
together  with  Thausing's  more  attractive  hypothesis  (I,  p.  230  etc.)  concern- 
ing Pirkheimer  and  the  Swiss  war  of  1499.  The  great  stumbling-block  has  been 
the  impossibility  of  reconciling  the  attributes  with  the  received  conceptions  of 
either  the  Roman  "  Fortuna  "  or  the  Greek  "  Nemesis,"  and  the  apparent  un- 
willingness to  accept  the  fact  that  Diirer,  as  well  as  his  humanistic  friends,  was 
himself  not  clear  in  his  conception,  and  therefore  mixed  up  several  antique 
ideas,  thus  producing  a  Fortuna-Nemesis,  which  he  still  further  complicated 
with  conceits  of  his  own  (see  Introduction,  p.  iv).  Tiie  best  explanation  of 
the  title  chosen  by  Diirer  is  undoubtedly  given  by  Rosenberg  (Zeitschrift,  IX, 
pp.  254,  255).  He  calls  attention  to  a  passage  in  the  "  Praise  of  Folly,"  by 
Erasmus,  which  runs  thus :  "  Even  Rhamnusia  herself,  who  guides  the  fate  of 
human  affairs,  is  so  strong  an  adherent  of  mine  [i.  e.,  of  Folly]  that  she  has 
always  been  inimical  to  the  so-called  wise  men,  while  she  has  given  to  the  fools 
all  the  advantages,  even  in  their  sleep."  This  passage  Holbein  illustrated  by 
the  figure  of  a  naked  woman  showering  gold  upon  a  fool,  while  standing  on  a 


35 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


globe  which  floats  upon  the  water.  "  From  the  words  of  Erasmus,"  says 
Rosenberg,  "it  follows  that  Rhamnusia,  e.,  Nemesis,  so  called  from  her  prin- 
cipal place  of  worship  in  Attica,  was  identical  with  Fortuna  as  the  goddess  of 
fate  in  its  broadest  meaning."  The  "  Praise  of  Folly  "  and  Holbein's  figure, 
drawn  in  1515,  are,  of  course,  later  than  Diirer's  "  Nemesis,"  but  they  show 
that  the  combination  of  ideas  involved  was  not  foreign  to  Diirer's  time.  Rosen- 
berg further  cites  an  epigram  from  the  Greek  "  Anthology,"  as  explaining  the 
attributes,  at  least  in  part,  and  calls  attention  to  Dante's  verses,  "  Inferno," 
VII,  73-96,  which  do,  indeed,  express  the  same  idea  as  that  conveyed  by 
Diirer's  design,  but  in  a  manner  which  the  rude  conception  of  the  Northern 
artist  cannot  hope  to  rival. 

Mr.  Ruskin's  bitter  allusion  to  the  landscape  under  this  "  Nemesis"  (see  the 
Appendix  to  his  "  Ariadne  Florentina  "),  and  his  extraordinary  comparison  of 
Diirer  and  Turner,  compel  a  few  words  of  comment  here.  The  great  English 
theorist  forgets  or  ignores  the  slight  circumstance  that  Diirer  lived  and  worked 
in  the  sixteenth  century, —  did  this  landscape,  in  fact,  at  the  very  beginning  of 
that  century, —  and  that  landscape  painting  had  not  yet  been  invented,  so  to 
speak,  at  the  time,  while  Turner  lived  in  the  nineteenth  century.  Diirer  may, 
indeed,  be  ranked  among  the  pioneers  of  landscape  art,  and  it  is  curious  that, 
in  the  Netherlands,  he  cultivated  more  especially  the  friendship  of  Patenier  (see 
No.  108  of  this  catalogue),  who  is  called  the  father  of  landscape  art  in  the 
Netherlands,  and  whom  he  describes  as  a  "  good  landscape  painter,"  thus 
being  the  first,  according  to  Thausing,  to  introduce  this  term  into  literature. 
To  understand  how  far  in  advance  Diirer  was  in  his  landscape  drawing,  com- 
pared with  the  old  Florentines  who  are  Mr.  Ruskin's  idols  (and  against  whose 
merits  not  a  word  is  to  be  said),  one  need  only  compare  his  rendering  of  the 
"  Orpheus  "  with  the  original,  as  shown  in  this  exhibition  (see  Supplementary 
Illustrations,  Nos.  V  and  VI,  and  No.  17). 

The  study  of  his  many  landscape  sketches,  which,  thanks  to  the  admirable 
reproductions  made  at  the  German  Government  Printing  Office,  Berlin,  under 
Professor  Rose's  skilful  direction,  and  edited  by  Dr.  Lippmann,  are  now  easily 
accessible,  shows  him,  indeed,  to  have  been  far  in  advance  of  all  his  contempo- 
raries, and  even  in  advance  of  himself  as  we  know  him  in  his  finished  produc- 
tions. Diirer  working  for  himself,  and  Diirer  working  for  the  public,  are  two 
entirely  different  beings.  His  landscape  sketches  in  water-colors  verge  closely 
upon  the  "  impressionism  "  of  to-day.  But  when  he  utilized  these  sketches  for 
popular  purposes,  he  changed  them  and  conventionalized  them  almost  out  of 
recognition.  Nevertheless,  even  in  this  conventionalization,  his  landscape 
backgrounds  were  the  admiration  of  all  the  artists  of  his  time,  Italians  included, 
who  did  not  hesitate  to  appropriate  them  and  to  introduce  them  into  their  own 
productions. 

36 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


34  ADAM  AND  EVE.— B  i;    H  ii6;  R  55;  M  38.— Full 

NAME,   MONOGRAM,   AND  DATE,    1 504,   ON  A  TABLET. 

a.  Photogravure  reproduction  of  an  unfinished  trial  proof.  The  back- 
ground is  finished,  with  the  exception  of  a  part  on  the  right  side.  The 
figures  are  only  outlined,  with  the  exception  of  the  right  leg  of  Adam, 
which  is  finished.    The  cat  is  not  yet  indicated  in  the  foreground. 

b.  As  before,  but  carried  further,  both  of  the  legs  of  Adam  being 
now  finished. 

c.  Impression  from  the  finished  plate,  first  state.  Very  fine,  rather 
delicate  impression,  generally  speaking  clean  wiped,  even  most  of  the 
darkest  parts  still  transparent,  black  ink.  Watermark,  large  bull's  head, 
Hausmann,  No.  i.    From  the  Von  Liphart  Collection. 

d.  Another  very  fine  impression  of  the  first  state,  but  fuller,  and 
therefore  what  collectors  are  apt  to  call  "  richer."  Watermark,  large 
bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i.    From  the  Artaria  Collection. 

e.  Second  state  of  the  finished  plate,  with  the  rift  in  the  tree  under  the 
left  armpit  of  Adam.  Very  good,  clear,  delicate  impression.  Water- 
mark, large  bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i.  From  the  Harrach  Collection. 

/.  Copy,  usually  ascribed,  on  the  authority  of  Heller,  to  an  other- 
wise entirely  unknown  engraver,  Johannes  van  Goosen.  Merlo  ("  Nach- 
richten,"  p.  146)  says,  however,  that  Heller's  ascription  is  entirely  un- 
warranted. There  was  an  engraver  named  Johann  Baptist  Goossens, 
who  lived  in  Cologne  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  made  some  copies 
after  Diirer,  but  this  copy  of  "  Adam  and  Eve  "  is  not  by  him.  Nagler 
ascribes  it  to  Johannes  Ladenspelder  van  Essen  ("  Monogrammisten," 
IV,  p.  57,  No.  163). 

g.  Copy,  undescribed. 

There  is  no  real  tinting  in  these  impressions  of  Diirer's  early  masterpiece, —  he 
was  thirty-three  years  of  age  in  1504, —  nor  do  the  impressions  in  the  public  collec- 
tions examined  show  any.  Of  the  first  states  in  these  collections  the  finest  is 
in  Berlin,  printed  in  very  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  and  an  even  finer  impression 

37 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


of  the  same  state,  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Valentin  Weisbach,  also  of  Berlin, 
shows  the  same  printing. 

Trial  proofs  are  known  of  only  two  of  DUrer's  plates,  the  "  Hercules  "  (No. 
17  of  this  catalogue),  and  the  plate  under  consideration.  The  two  repro- 
ductions here  shown  (published  by  the  International  Chalcographical  Society, 
in  its  series  for  the  year  1890,  Nos.  17  and  18)  were  made  from  the  impres- 
sions in  the  Albertina,  at  Vienna.  There  is  also  an  impression  of  the  first 
of  these  states  in  London.  Middleton  describes  still  another  trial  proof,  earlier 
even  than  the  two  just  mentioned, —  the  figures  of  Adam  and  Eve  only  in 
outline,  the  whole  of  the  right  side  of  the  print  and  the  cat  in  the  foreground 
unshaded, —  but  he  does  not  name  the  collection  where  it  is  to  be  found.  The 
plate  of  "  Adam  and  Eve  "  is,  besides,  one  of  the  very  few  of  Diirer's  of  which 
two  states,  properly  so  called,  can  be  said  to  exist.  The  rift  in  the  tree,  under 
the  left  armpit  of  Adam,  which  is  the  distinguishing  mark  of  the  second  state, 
had  an  obvious  artistic  purpose, —  Diirer  wished  to  darken  the  part  in  question, 
so  as  to  give  more  effectual  relief  to  Adam's  arm. 

The  date  fixes  the  position  of"  Adam  and  Eve,"  and  its  delicacy  harmonizes 
well  with  the  group  of  plates  which  surround  it,  and  at  the  head  of  which  it 
stands,  technically,  as  well  as  artistically,  considered.  Nowhere  else  has  Diirer 
treated  the  flesh  with  such  caressing  care,  using  much  fine  dotting  in  the  model- 
ing, and  in  no  previous  plate  has  he  used  such  a  variety  of  textures  in  a  con- 
scious striving  for  color.  It  is  very  instructive  in  this  respect,  as  before  pointed 
out,  to  compare  the  "Adam  and  Eve"  with  "The  Virgin  and  Child  with  the 
Monkey"  (No.  13),  which,  despite  the  variety  of  objects,  is  pure  black  and 
white,  as  a  result  of  the  uniformity  of  texture,  and  with  "  The  Virgin  sitting  by 
a  Wall"  (No.  75),  in  which  variety  of  texture  is  carried  further  than  in  any 
other  of  Diirer's  plates. 

It  was  this  engraving  of  "  Adam  and  Eve,"  according  to  Thausing  (I,  pp. 
304,  305),  "which  first  brought  Diirer  before  the  world  in  the  full  conscious- 
ness of  his  power,  as  undisputedly  the  greatest  master  of  the  burin  "  [of  his 
time].  The  elaborate  detail  studies  w^hich  he  made  for  it  (see  Ephrussi,  pp. 
70-73,  and  the  many  reproductions  published  by  Lippmann)  give  evidence  of 
special  care  in  its  preparation,  and  the  trial  proofs  still  in  existence  show 
that  he  was  equally  painstaking  in  its  execution.  Such  detail  studies  for  en- 
gravings are  exceptional  with  him,  although  of  composition  sketches  for  his 
engravings  and  woodcuts  there  are  many  (Ephrussi,  p.  195).  It  is  manifest 
also  that  he  was  satisfied  with  the  result  of  his  labors  at  the  time,  from  the 
detailed  inscription  on  the  tablet:  Albertus  Dvrer  Noricvs  Faciebat,  fol- 
lowed by  the  monogram  and  the  date.  That  the  subject  is  "  Adam  and  Eve  " 
admits  of  no  doubt,  even  if  we  cannot  accept  the  elaborate  explanations,  such 
as  Retberg's,  which  assign  a  symbolical  meaning  to  every  detail.    On  the  other 

38 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


hand,  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  Biblical  story  served  the  artist  only  as  a  pre- 
text for  representing  the  nude,  both  male  and  female,  according  to  the  best 
lights  he  then  had.  In  earlier  plates  (Nos.  19,  21,  22  of  this  catalogue)  the 
influence  of  Jacopo  de'  Barbari,  of  the  early  Florentines  (No.  17),  and  of  Andrea 
Mantegna  (Nos.  16,  17)  has  been  detected;  in  others  (Nos.  14,  15)  a  reflection 
of  the  antique  may  perhaps  be  seen;  while  in  a  third  class  (Nos.  9,  33)  we  evi- 
dently have  the  result  of  the  direct  and  unreserved  study  of  nature.  In  the 
"  Adam  and  Eve,"  finally,  the  young  artist,  who  has  thus  far  carried  on  his 
studies  on  various  lines,  sometimes  contradictory  of  one  another,  sums  up  his 
experience,  and  for  the  first  time  makes  extended  use  of  the  theoretical  studies 
of  proportions  which  he  pursued  throughout  his  life.  That  this  is  the  case  is 
conclusively  shown  by  the  constructional  lines  and  figures  on  some  of  the  pre- 
liminary drawings.  At  the  same  time,  the  earlier  studies  are  still  visible  in  the 
final  result.  It  is  claimed  by  Thode  ("  Die  Antiken,"  etc.,  p.  2)  that  "  Diirer's 
Adam  is  nothing  but  a  transformation  of  the  Apollo  Belvedere  "  (see  Supple- 
mentary Illustrations,  II),  and  that  "the  same  conceptions  and  studies  which 
transformed  the  Apollo  into  an  Adam  changed  the  Venus  to  an  Eve  "  (Jahr- 
buch.  III,  p.  112).  Thode's  suggestions  concerning  the  Venus  in  "The 
Dream"  (No.  15)  have  already  been  pointed  out,  and  there  is  no  denying  that 
there  is  mucli  resemblance  in  the  composition  generally  of  this  latter  figure  and 
the  Eve,  however  the  forms  may  differ  in  detail.  That  Diirer  should  make  use 
of  antique  models  for  tiie  representation  of  Biblical  subjects  is  quite  in  accord- 
ance with  his  expressed  conviction  of  the  correctness  of  such  a  proceeding.  It 
is  an  interesting  question,  however,  to  inquire  whether  he  went  to  the  antique 
direct  or  whether  its  influence  was  transmitted  to  him  through  Jacopo  de' 
Barbari  or  some  other  Italian.  There  is  an  engraving  of  "Apollo  and  Diana" 
by  Jacopo,  B  16,  Kristeller  14  (see  Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  VIII),  in 
which  the  figure  of  the  sun-god  seems  also  to  have  been  influenced  by  the 
Apollo  Belvedere,  and  in  an  early  drawing  by  Diirer  of  the  same  subject  (see 
Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  IX),  there  is  a  curious  mixture  of  the  two  with 
a  premonition  of  the  Adam.  Indeed  the  Apollo  of  the  drawing,  which,  as  a 
whole,  is  evidently  related  to  Jacopo's  engraving,  is  almost  identical  with  the 
Adam,  reversed.  Ephrussi  (in  his  essay  on  Jacopo  de'  Barbari)  endeavors  to 
prove  also  that  the  Eve  is  based  on  a  relief  representing  "  Orpheus  and  Eury- 
dice  "  (see  the  etching  from  it.  Supplementary  Illustrations,  No.  X),  which  he 
attributes  to  Jacopo  on  the  strength  of  the  sign  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner. 
This  sign,  however,  does  not  appear  to  be  the  caduceus,  adopted  by  Jacopo  as 
a  mark,  but  rather  a  dagger  or  something  of  that  sort,  stuck  through  two  rings. 
To  offset  the  chorus  of  admiration  universally  called  forth  by  this  engraving,  it 
may  be  well  to  recall  the  words  of  Albert  Von  Zahn  ("  Diirer's  Kunstlehre,"  pp. 
44,45).    "The  newness,"  says  he,  "  of  the  conscious  application  for  the  first 


39 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


time  of  a  set  of  rules  [of  proportion]  explains  why  these  figures  have  a  most 
forced  pose  which  is  thoroughly  contradictory  of  the  essence  of  Diirer's  concep- 
tion of  nature,  and  the  disagreeable  impression  of  which  is  balanced  only  by 
the  mastery  of  the  drawing."  The  curious  may  look  up  also  Mr.  Ruskin's 
judgment  in  Lecture  V  of  his  "Ariadne  Florentina."  There  is  no  direct  evi- 
dence to  show  whether  Diirer  was  as  dissatisfied  after  a  few  years  with  this 
crowning  triumph  of  his  earlier  activity  as  an  engraver  as  he  usually  was  with 
his  works.  He  carried  impressions  to  the  Netherlands  with  him,  but  mentions 
the  plate  by  title  only  four  times,  once  among  the  gifts  and  thrice  among  the 
sales.  His  price  for  it  was,  as  for  all  his  "  full  sheet"  prints,  eight  for  one 
florin,  or  four  stivers  for  a  single  copy.  As  regards  the  supposed  influence  of 
the  Apollo  Belvedere  on  Diirer's  work,  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  this  statue 
was  discovered  toward  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century, —  when  Diirer  visited 
Italy  for  the  first  time, —  and  undoubtedly  created  quite  an  excitement  among 
those  interested  in  such  matters. 

Lehrs,  in  a  study  published  by  him  in  the  "  Mittheilungen  des  Instituts  fiir 
oster.  Geschichtsforschung,"  gives  a  number  of  representations,  here  reproduced 
(see  p.  41),  illustrating  the  genesis  of  Diirer's  Adam,  and  the  influence  of  the 
Apollo  Belvedere  on  several  other  artists.  Figure  i  is  an  outline  of  the  Apollo, 
Figure  2  a  reduction  of  the  Apollo  on  Diirer's  drawing  above  alluded  to,  Figure 
3  the  Adam  reversed,  as  he  appears  in  a  drawing  by  Diirer,  in  the  Von  Lanna 
Collection,  at  Prague  (Lippmann,  No.  173.  See  Supplementary  Illustrations, 
No.  XI).  The  relationship  is  obvious.  Figure  4  is  from  Mantegna's  "Bac- 
chanal with  the  Tub,"  again  a  reminiscence  of  the  Apollo  Belvedere,  while 
Figures  5  and  6  are  from  drawings  by  Diirer,  which  seem  in  their  turn  to  be 
inspired  by  Mantegna.  Finally,  Figure  7,  by  Rubens,  is  a  still  later  remi- 
niscence of  the  Belvederian.  At  first  blush  it  appears  ridiculous  to  seek  far- 
reaching  analogies  and  to  suggest  inspirations  for  such  a  pose,  which,  however 
at  variance  with  "  the  essence  of  Diirer's  conception  of  nature,"  is  yet,  in  spite 
of  what  even  a  critic  like  Von  Zahn  may  say,  not  unnatural.  Its  significance 
lies  in  the  very  fact  that  it  is  at  variance,  not  only  with  "  the  essence  of  Diirer's 
conception  of  nature,"  but  with  that  of  all  the  Northern  artists  who  preceded 
him.  We  of  to-day  cannot  conceive  how  difficult  it  was  for  one  of  these 
artists  to  arrive  at  the  freedom  and  unconstraint,  at  the  self-forgetfulness,  which 
find  expression  in  these  two  figures.  This  becomes  apparent  at  once  when 
we  compare,  for  instance,  the  group  of  Adam  and  Eve  by  Jan  Van  Eyck 
with  the  plate  under  consideration,  and  the  "  Studies  for  Adam  and  Eve  "  (No. 
112  of  this  catalogue)  may  also  be  consulted  for  the  same  purpose.  What 
awkward  poses,  what  a  difficulty  in  spreading  their  limbs,  what  a  painful  con- 
sciousnes  of  nakedness  these  figures  betray  !  Diirer's  Adam  and  Eve,  on  the 
contrary,  are  quite  unconscious  of  their  nakedness, —  without  glorying  in  their 


40 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


limbs,  they  are  yet  not  ashamed  of  them,  and  they  do  not,  therefore,  attempt 
to  hide  them.  The  great  significance  of  these  figures  for  the  peoples  north  of 
the  Alps  is  this,  that  they  proclaim  the  emancipation  of  the  flesh,  under  the 
influence  of  the  antique, —  its  release  from  the  curse  which  for  fifteen  hundred 
years  had  rested  upon  it.  As  in  so  many  other  things,  the  Italians  were  far  in 
advance  of  them  in  this  also.  For  proof  see  the  groups  of  Adam  and  Eve  by 
Filippino  Lippi  and  by  Masaccio,  which  are  here  cited,  because  they  are  easily 
attainable  among  the  pubUcations  of  the  Arundel  Society. 

35  THE  NATIVITY  — B  2;  H  127;  R  54;  M  37.— Monogram 

AND  DATE,    1 504,   ON  A  TABLET. 

a.  A  very  beautiful  impression.  Black  ink,  clean  wiped,  and  therefore 
transparent  and  harmonious  throughout,  which  latter  quahty  the  fine  tone 
of  the  paper  aids  materially.    From  the  Fisher  Collection. 

b.  Reversed  copy.    Heller,  No.  136. 

All  the  good  impressions  from  this  plate  to  be  seen  in  the  principal  collections 
of  Europe  are  printed  like  the  one  here  shown, —  black  ink,  clean  wiped. 

Apparently  the  print  which  Durer  calls  "  Christmas  "  in  his  Netherlands  Diary. 

36  APOLLO  AND  DIANA —B  68  ;  H  795  ;  R  87  ;  M  35.— Mon- 

ogram ON  A  PIECE  OF  paper;  THE  D  REVERSED  AND  THEN 
CORRECTED. 

Very  fine  impression,  with  just  tinting  enough  in  the  close  work  to  add 
richness,  without  impairing  the  transparency.  The  fine  tone  of  the  paper 
adds  to  the  beauty  of  the  general  effect. 

The  tinting  on  this  impression,  although  not  yet  perfectly  under  the  control  of 
the  printer,  is  the  first  specimen  among  the  prints  here  shown  of  a  fairly  success- 
ful attempt  to  produce  an  eff'ect  other  than  that  which  the  engraved  lines  would 
give  unaided.  (See  the  accompanying  reproduction.)  The  ground  and  the 
body  of  the  stag,  against  which  the  lower  limbs  of  the  figures  are  luminously 
relieved,  are  perceptibly  tinted,  more  especially  the  stag.  The  impressions  in 
Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin  vary  somewhat.  The  London  impression 
resembles  the  one  here  shown,  while  that  in  Berlin  is  more  cleanly  wiped. 

42 


APOLLO  AND  DIANA. 
(N0.36.) 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


The  plate  is  assigned  to  about  1505  by  Retberg,  to  1504  by  Thode.  Heller 
names  1486-1500,  which  is  evidently  too  early.  The  general  daintiness  of  treat- 
ment suffices  to  indicate  the  period  of  1504  to  1505.  In  no  other  plate,  except- 
ing "  Adam  and  Eve,"  is  there  such  delicate  modeling  of  the  flesh.  The  treat- 
ment of  the  ground  may  also  be  cited  as  evidence  in  favor  of  the  period  named. 
An  examination  of  the  earlier  plates  shows  that  in  them  the  ground  is  worked 
in  long  sweeping  lines,  which  are  crossed  by  shorter  curved  lines  only  in  the 
darkest  shadows,  while  about  the  year  1504  or  1505  a  more  delicate  treatment 
begins  to  prevail,  although  it  would  not  do  to  say  that  it  becomes  general.  See, 
besides  the  plate  under  consideration,  the  "St.  George  Standing  "  (No.  43),  the 
later  plates  of  "  The  Little  Passion,"  and  many  of  the  still  later  plates. 

The  general  relationship  of  this  design  to  Jacopo  de'  Barbari's  engraving  and 
to  Diirer's  drawing  (see  Supplementary  Illustrations,  Nos.  VIII  and  IX)  is 
evident,  although  there  is  considerable  variation  in  detail.  Grimm,  on  the 
other  hand,  sees  so  much  of  Signorelli  in  the  conception  that  he  is  "  tempted 
sometimes  to  trace  it  back  directly  to  him." 

A  drawing  of  the  Apollo  alone  is  published  by  Lippmann,  No.  179. 


37  THE  SATYR  AND  HIS  FAMILY.— B  69;  H  819;  R  83 ; 
M  39. —  Monogram  and  date,  1505,  on  a  tablet, 

a.  Very  fine  impression.  Black  ink,  clean  wiped,  transparent  even  in 
the  darkest  shadows.  Watermark,  bull's  head,  only  the  flower  visible. 
From  the  St.  Aubyn  Collection. 

b.  Also  a  very  fine  impression,  but  somewhat  too  full  in  the  darkest 
shadows.  This,  in  connection  with  the  white  paper,  produces  more  con- 
trast in  this  impression  than  in  a.  Slightly  cut  at  top  and  bottom.  Wa- 
termark, large  bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i.  From  the  Marshall  Col- 
lection. 

The  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  and  Berlin  are  all  printed  in  pure  black  ink, 
clean  wiped,  like  the  above, —  that  is  to  say,  in  the  old  style.  The  workman- 
ship, in  comparison  with  that  of  No.  36,  is  also  rather  old-fashioned,  but  the  date 
settles  the  question  of  position. 

Called  also  "  The  Little  Satyr  "  (to  distinguish  it  from  "  Hercules  "  or  "  The 
Great  Satyr,"  No.  17),  "Pan  and  Syrinx,"  and  "The  Birth  of  Adonis."  For 
the  possible  source  of  inspiration,  see  Thausing,  I,  p.  311, 

43 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 

38  THE  LITTLE  HORSE.— B  96;  H  1000;  R  85;  M  40.— 

Monogram  on  a  stone;  date,  1505,  in  the  sky. 

a.  Fine  impression,  black  ink,  generally  speaking  clean  wiped,  although 
the  shadows  are  here  and  there  a  trifle  too  full.  Very  slight  duplication 
of  lines  in  lowest  part.    Watermark,  bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i. 

b.  Reversed  copy,  apparently  Heller's  No.  1005. 

The  impressions  in  the  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin  cabinets  are  all 
printed  in  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  Only  the  one  in  London  shows  some  tinting 
on  the  under  side  of  the  arch. 

This  and  the  following  engraving,  as  well  as  the  "  St.  Eustace  "  (No.  32),  which 
see,  and  the  "  St.  George  on  Horseback  "  (No.  42),  are  probably  the  outcome  of 
Durer's  studies  of  the  horse,  on  the  proportions  of  which  he  intended  to  write  a 
book,  and  the  pseudo-mythological  and  other  adjuncts  may  have  been  thrown 
in  to  make  the  subjects  palatable  to  the  educated  public  of  the  time,  which  was 
always  ready  for  something  either  "  antique  "  or  "  saintly."  Heller  and  Retberg 
suggest  that  the  man  leading  the  animal  may  be  Perseus.  Thausing  substitutes 
Mercury,  and  discusses  the  difficulties  which  stand  in  the  way  (I,  p.  314).  Sprin- 
ger ("  Diirer,"  p.  57)  also  suggests  Mercury  and  Pegasus. 

39  THE  GREAT  HORSE  — B  97;  H  1009;  R  84;  M  41.— 

Monogram  in  lower  right  corner;  date,  1505,  in  the 

SKY. 

a.  Very  brilhant  impression.  Black  ink,  practically  clean  wiped,  only 
the  darkest  shadows  somewhat  full.  On  white  paper,  with  the  water- 
mark of  the  large  bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i. 

b.  Similar  impression,  on  paper  of  a  fine  warm  tone.  From  the  col- 
lection of  the  Earl  of  Aylesford. 

The  impression  in  Paris  is  a  brilliant  black  one,  clean  wiped.  The  one  in  Lon- 
don is  only  good,  practically  clean  wiped,  with  some  smudging  on  the  forelegs 
of  the  horse  and  the  boot  on  the  left  leg  of  the  soldier.  Dresden  has  a  fine, 
rather  delicate  impression,  absolutely  clean  wiped,  Berlin  also  a  very  fine  clean- 
wiped  one,  in  warmish  black  ink.  A  very  fine,  black,  clean-wiped  impression 
is  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston. 

44 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


As  Quad  von  Kinkelbach  calls  the  "  Hercules  "  (No.  17)  "The  Great  Her- 
cules," it  seems  probable  that  this  print  was  known  as  "  The  Little  Hercules." 
Thausing  (I,  p.  313)  suggests  that  it  may  be  meant  to  represent  Hercules  car- 
rying off  the  mares  of  the  Thracian  Diomedes.   (See  the  remarks  under  No.  38.) 

40  THE  THREE  GENII  WITH  HELMET  AND  SHIELD. 

—  B  66;  H  871;  R  114;  M  42. —  Monogram. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  warmish  black  ink,  clean  wiped.    Would  be 
absolutely  perfect  if  the  paper  were  in  better  condition. 

b.  Late  impression,  from  the  worn  plate.    Washed  with  India  ink  in 
the  shadows.    From  the  Cabinet  Louis  Galichon. 

c.  Copy  by  Jerome  Wierix,  "M  12,"  z.  e.,  engraved  when  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age.    Alvin,  No.  1574. 

All  the  impressions  from  this  plate  in  the  collections  examined  are  clean  wiped. 

Retberg,  about  1507  ;  Heller,  1507-14.  Thausing,  on  the  contrary,  holds  the 
plate  to  be  an  early  one,  showing  the  influence  of  Mantegna ;  but  this  theory  is 
plainly  contradicted  by  the  workmanship  and  the  monogram.  As  here  placed, 
it  would  precede  the  second  journey  to  Venice,  which  Diirer  undertook  in  the 
year  1506. 

A  good  example  of  the  farfetched  explanations  attempted  by  the  older  ad- 
mirers  of  Diirer  is  furnished  in  this  instance  by  Retberg.  According  to  him  we 
have  here  a  piece  of  Diireresque  humor  which  he  brought  home  with  him  from 
Venice  in  1507,  and  which  is  to  be  thus  expounded:  "Genii  trumpet  forth 
Diirer's  name  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  and  they  also  hold  an  escutcheon,  to 
possess  which  was  at  that  time  every  one's  desire.  But  nothing  is  as  yet  recorded 
upon  it,  and  the  helmet  that  is  being  brought  by  another  still  hangs  in  air." 
See  Von  Sallet,  p.  17,  to  the  effect  that  the  design  is  merely  one  of  the  fanciful 
coats-of-arms,  without  special  meaning,  which  were  then  quite  frequently  en- 
graved. 


45 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


4J  THE  WITCH.— B  67;  H  867;  R115;  M  44.— Monogram. 

WITH  THE  D  REVERSED. 

A  very  beautiful  impression,  warmish  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  on  paper 
of  a  very  luminous  tone.  Watermark,  large  bull's  head,  Hausmann,  No.  i. 

All  the  impressions  in  the  collections  examined,  including  that  of  King  Frederic 
Augustus  II,  in  Dresden,  are  clean  wiped. 

Retberg,  about  1507  ;  Heller,  1507-14.  Thausing  (I,  p.  226)  considers  this, 
like  the  preceding  plate,  an  early  work  composed  under  Italian,  and  more  es- 
pecially Mantegna's,  influence.  Middleton  also  recognizes  the  influence  of  Man- 
tegna.  The  face  of  the  witch  forcibly  recalls  that  of  one  of  the  marine  monsters 
in  Mantegna's  "  Battle  of  the  Tritons."  (See  Supplementary  Illustrations,  No. 
XII.)  Thausing  also  points  out  (II,  p.  89)  that  the  principal  figure  in  Agostino 
Veneziano's  "  Lo  Stregozzo  "  is  a  reminiscence  of  Diirer's  witch.  (See  Supple- 
mentary Illustrations,  No.  XIII.)  If  these  suggestions  are  tenable,  which  they 
certainly  appear  to  be,  we  have  here  a  curious  example  of  "give  and  take", — 
Diirer  taking  the  figure  from  an  Italian  source,  and  an  Italian  carrying  it  back 
to  its  native  country.  Again,  as  for  No.  40,  workmanship  and  monogram  argue 
against  a  very  early  date  for  this  plate,  so  that  it  seems  safest  to  assign  it  to 
about  the  year  1506. 

So  far  as  the  witch,  riding  backward  on  a  goat  and  causing  a  hailstorm,  is 
concerned,  it  is  easy  enough  to  understand  the  subject,  in  connection  with  popu- 
lar superstitions  and  with  the  witch  trials,  which  were  in  full  blast  about  that 
time.  The  four  genii,  however,  prove  more  troublesome,  and  all  the  learning 
expended  upon  them  by  Allihn  (p.  49)  leads  only  to  the  suggestion  that  they 
may  perhaps  represent  the  four  seasons,  disturbed  in  their  smooth  course  by  the 
unhallowed  doings  of  the  witch. 

42  ST.  GEORGE  ON  HORSEBACK.— B  54;  H  746;  R  120; 
M  43. —  Monogram  and  date,  1508,  changed  from  1505, 
ON  a  tag. 

a.  Fine  impression.    Pure  black,  strong  ink,  clean  wiped,  lines  some- 
what full. 

b.  Also  a  nice  impression,  but  in  a  warmer,  softer  ink,  with  perceptible 
tinting  on  the  ground  and  the  hindpart  of  the  dragon  ;  otherwise  clean 

46 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


wiped.  Slightly  cut  on  all  sides,  false  margin,  restored  all  around  with 
the  pen, —  all  of  this  very  cleverly  done. 

The  impressions  in  the  European  cabinets  examined  are  all  similar  to  a,  ex- 
cept the  one  in  Berlin,  which  is  more  closely  wiped  than  any  of  the  others. 

Very  likely  begun  in  1505,  when  Diirer  was  specially  occupied  with  the 
horse  (see  No.  38),  and  taken  up  again  after  his  return  from  Venice. 

43  ST.  GEORGE  STANDING.— B  53;  H  737;  R  121 ;  M  31. 
—  Monogram  on  a  tablet. 

a.  Very  fine,  brilliant  impression.    Black  ink,  somewhat  full.  Tinting 
in  the  foreground. 

b.  Reversed  copy,  not  described. 

There  is  an  impression  in  London  which  is  quite  picturesque  in  its  way, —  printed 
in  warmish  ink,  but  with  too  much  tinting,  and  indeed  smudging,  in  the  face  and 
around  the  left  arm  of  the  saint.  Dresden  has  a  good  clean-wiped  impression, 
pure  black,  with  very  little  tinting  in  the  closest  work;  and  Berlin  a  very  fine 
clear  impression,  in  pure  black  ink,  almost  without  any  tinting  whatever. 

Thausing  assigns  this  plate  to  about  the  same  time  as  "  The  Standard-Bearer  " 
(No.  26  of  this  catalogue),  i.  e.,  shortly  after  1499.  Middleton  calls  it  "  a  com- 
panion print"  to  "The  Standard-Bearer,"  and  "probably  of  the  same  date." 
Heller  places  it  between  1507  and  1514;  Retberg  and  Hausmann  about  1508, 
contemporaneous,  that  is  to  say,  with  the  "St.  George  on  Horseback"  (No. 
42).  The  two  "  St.  George  "  are  unquestionably  of  the  same  workmanship,  and 
must,  therefore,  be  placed  together.  They  are  totally  different  in  this  respect 
from  "  The  Standard-Bearer,"  which  is  considerably  earlier.  It  may  seem  im- 
probable that  Diirer  should  have  treated  the  same  subject  twice  at  the  same 
time,  but  there  are  other  similar  instances.  "  The  Little  Horse "  and  "  The 
Great  Horse"  are  both  dated  1505,  and  the  two  "Saint  Christopher"  (Nos. 
96  and  97),  1521.  The  graver  slip,  along  the  upper  half  of  the  right  margin, 
seems  to  be  on  all  impressions. 

St.  George,  according  to  the  legend,  was  a  prince  of  Cappadocia,  who  died  the 
death  of  a  martyr  under  Diocletian.  His  most  celebrated  deed  was  the  killing 
of  the  dragon  which  threatened  to  devour  the  royal  princess  Aja.  The  legend 
is  of  Oriental  origin,  and  was  introduced  into  Europe  by  the  Crusaders.  It  is 
stated  that  the  Emperor  Maximilian  I  reorganized  the  order  of  St.  George, 
which  had  fallen  into  decay,  and  possibly  Diirer's  two  engravings  of  the  saint 
were  inspired  by  this  action. 


47 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


44  THE  VIRGIN  WITH  THE   CROWN  OF  STARS.— 

B31;  H517;  Rii8;M  47. —  Monogram  ;  dated  i  508. 

Very  fine  impression  of  the  second  state.  Transparent  throughout, 
with  very  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work.  From  the  De  Arozarena 
Collection. 

The  two  states  of  this  plate  differ  in  the  halo  about  the  figure  of  the  Virgin, 
which  consists  of  an  inner  and  an  outer  oval  of  rays.  In  the  first  state  the 
outer  oval  of  shorter  rays  is  not  complete  in  the  upper  part;  in  the  second 
state  it  has  been  completed. 

The  Berlin  Cabinet  has  the  two  states,  both  printed  in  rich  black  ink,  clean 
wiped.  There  is  a  black  impression  also  in  Paris,  and  a  more  delicate,  although 
brilliant  one,  in  slightly  warmish  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  in  London,  but  the 
notes  on  which  these  remarks  are  based  do  not  mention  the  state.  The  black 
impressions,  as  in  other  cases,  are  undoubtedly  the  earlier  ones.  Early  impres- 
sions, of  the  first  as  well  as  of  the  second  state,  show  slight  scratches  in  the 
plate,  which  disappear  later. 

Diirer  goes  back  in  this  print  to  the  time-honored  conception  of  the  Virgin 
as  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  standing  on  the  crescent,  which  we  have  met  with  once 
before  among  his  very  early  work,  "  The  Virgin  on  the  Crescent,  without 
Crown,"  No.  8.  In  this  latter  he  was  still  under  the  influence  of  Schongauer's 
gentle  idealism.  Here  he  shows  himself  emancipated,  and  gives  free  play  to 
his  realistic  tendencies  in  the  representation  of  the  heavenly  vision,  with  a 
result  which  can  hardly  escape  the  accusation  of  incongruity.  The  "  Man  in 
the  Moon,"  abandoned  in  later  years,  still  appears  here. 

45  CHRIST  DYING  UPON  THE  CROSS.— B  24;  H  426; 

R  119;  M  46. —  Monogram  and  date,  1508,  on  a  tablet. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  with  light  yet  very  apparent  tinting,  even  on 
the  lights  in  the  sky.  Black  ink.  From  the  Fountaine-Walker  Col- 
lection. 

b.  Impression  from  the  worn  plate,  quite  clean  wiped. 

The  printing  of  this  plate,  compared  with  other  plates,  is  very  instructive,  and 
may  serve  to  make  clear  once  more  (see  also  Introduction,  p.  xxxviii)  the  differ- 
ence in  the  meaning  of  the  terms  so  often  used  in  previous  descriptions,  viz. : 

48 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


"  filling,"  "  smudging,"  and  "  tinting."  Filling  is  spoken  of  when  the  lines,  al- 
though the  plate  is  clean  wiped  [i.  e.,  when  the  intention  is  to  remove  all  ink 
from  the  surface  of  the  plate),  are  so  full  of  mk  that,  in  the  closest  parts,  they 
run  together  so  as  to  form  one  black  mass.  See,  for  instance,  No.  13b,  "The 
Virgin  and  Child  with  the  Monkey."  In  this  print,  although  it  is  very  beautiful 
and  rich,  some  of  the  darkest  parts  are  filled.  In  No.  13a,  on  the  contrary, 
and  in  No.  7,  "The  Penance  of  St.  John  Chrysostom,"  there  is  no  filling,  and 
consequently  the  minute  spots  which  represent  the  surface  of  the  plate  not  cut 
away  by  the  graver  are  still  seen,  even  in  the  very  darkest,  most  closely  worked 
parts.  Whoever  has  tried  his  hand  at  printing  knows  that  the  thing  is  not  as 
easy  as  it  looks,  and  that  it  requires  considerable  practice  to  be  able  to  wipe  the 
surface  of  a  plate  absolutely  clean  without  wiping  the  ink  out  of  the  lines.  The 
old  printers  also  experienced  this  difficulty,  and  the  result  was  "  smudging," 
which,  in  its  origin,  was  an  unwelcome  accident,  but  which  led  to  "  tinting." 
For  an  example  of  probably  accidental  "  smudging,"  see  No.  8,  "  The  Virgin 
on  the  Crescent,  without  Crown."  For  a  still  primitive  attempt  to  utilize  what 
had  heretofore  been  simply  accident,  see  No.  9,  "  The  Little  Fortune,"  and 
for  a  much  more  successful  attempt,  see  No.  33b,  "  Nemesis."  Diirer  and  his 
printers  saw  the  advantages  which  might  be  derived  from  these  "  accidents," 
if  they  could  only  be  brought  under  control,  and  thus  made  obedient  servants. 
The  ink  of  the  printer  might  then  be  used  to  produce  effects  which  the  engraver 
alone  could  not  reach.  The  experiments  made  led  to  artificial printitig,  but, 
curiously  enough,  only  to  "  tinting,"  not  to  "  retroussage,"  which  is  a  modem 
invention  (see  Introduction,  p.  xH).  Having  hit  upon  the  proper  consistency 
of  the  ink,  and  having  acquired  the  necessary  skill,  the  printers  now  found  it 
possible  to  leave  a  thin  film  of  ink  on  the  surface  of  the  plate, —  so  thin  and 
so  evenly  laid  as  to  leave  even  the  most  closely  worked  parts  transparent,  yet 
bound  together,  while  the  lights  could  be  wiped  clean.  Henceforth  we  shall 
find  that  this  "tinting"  process  is  used  on  most  of  Diirer's  plates,  although 
clean  wiping  is  not,  as  a  matter  of  course,  entirely  abandoned. 

All  the  prints  from  this  plate  examined,  whether  in  the  cabinets  or  elsewhere, 
show  more  or  less  tinting,  some  of  them  even  too  much, —  as,  for  instance,  one  in 
the  Berlin  Cabinet,  which  has  an  altogether  too  heavy  tint  throughout.  The  paper 
is  somewhat  rubbed,  as  if  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  reduce  the  tint.  [From 
a  note  made  in  the  year  1895.]  The  very  best  proofs  from  this  plate,  printed  in 
a  warmish  ink,  have  a  beautiful  ivory-like  quality,  due  in  great  part  to  the  tint 
left  standing  in  the  closely  worked  parts,  which  in  this  case  means  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  plate. 

In  its  handling,  and  in  its  pictorial  completeness,  this  plate  readily  shows  its 
close  relationship  to  the  plates  of  "  The  Little  Passion,"  more  especially  those 
of  the  same  year. 


15 


49 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 

D  iirer,  in  his  Diary,  calls  this  plate  "  The  Cross."  It  is  often  spoken  of  as 
"  The  Great  Cross,"  or  "  Crucifixion,"  to  distinguish  it  from  B  23  (No.  88  of  this 
catalogue).  The  St.  John  in  this  design  is  usually  described  as  an  almost  literal 
copy  from  the  same  figure  in  Mantegna's  *'  Entombment,"  but  there  are  many 
points  of  difference. 


THE  PASSION,  ON  COPPER. 

B  3-18;  H  139,  etc.;  R  92-107;  M  50,  etc. 

46  TITLE-PAGE:  THE  MAN  OF  SORROWS.— Monogram ; 

DATED  1509. 

47  THE  AGONY  IN  THE  GARDEN.—  Monogram  and  date, 

1 508,  on  a  tag. 

a.  Fine  early  impression. 

b.  Impression  from  the  worn  plate. 

48  CHRIST  TAKEN  BY  THE  JEWS.— Monogram  and  date, 

1508,  on  a  tag. 

49  CHRIST  BEFORE  CAIAPHAS.— Monogram  and  date,  1512, 

ON  A  TABLET. 

50  CHRIST  BEFORE  PILATE.— Monogram;  dated  1512. 

5t  THE  FLAGELLATION. —  Monogram  and  date,  15 12,  on 

A  tablet. 


a.  Fine  early  impression. 

b.  Impression  from  the  worn  plate. 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


52  CHRIST  CROWNED  WITH  THORNS.— Monogram  and 

DATE,    15 1 2,   ON  TWO  TABLETS. 

53  ECCE  HOMO!— Monogram;  dated  15 12. 

54  PILATE  WASHING  HIS   HANDS.— Monogram  ;  dated 

1512. 

55  CHRIST  BEARING  THE  CROSS.— Monogram  and  date, 

15  I  2,   ON   A  TABLET. 

56  THE  CRUCIFIXION. — Monogram  and  date,  151  i,  on  two 

TAGS. 

57  THE  DESCENT  FROM  THE  CROSS.— Monogram;  dated 

1507- 

58  THE  ENTOMBMENT.— Monogram  and  date,  151 2,  on  a 

TABLET. 

59  CHRIST  IN  LIMBO.— Monogram  on  a  tag;  dated  15 12. 

60  THE  RESURRECTION.— Monogram  and  date,  15 12,  on 

A  tag. 

61  STS.  PETER  AND  JOHN  HEALING  AT  THE  TEMPLE 

GATE. —  Monogram;  dated  15 13. 

Very  fine  set,  in  uniformly  good  impressions. 

51 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


The  plates  of  this  set  are  arranged  above  as  they  are  intended  to  be  seen,  that 
is  to  say,  in  the  order  in  which  they  follow  as  illustrations  of  the  Bible  story.  In 
an  examination  of  their  technical  quahties  they  must  be  taken  in  the  order  of 
date,  as  follows : 


Nn 

57  • 

X  lie  ucbcciii  irom  toe  v^ross. 

T  cnR 
1500. 

(< 

1  lie  /\gony  in  ine  vjaroen. 

(( 

ii 

48: 

Christ  taken  by  the  Jews. 

1509. 

U 

46: 

The  Man  of  Sorrows.  (Title-page.) 

I5II. 

il 

56: 

The  Crucifixion. 

1512. 

u. 

49: 

Christ  before  Caiaphas. 

u 

50: 

Christ  before  Pilate. 

ii 

51  : 

The  Flagellation. 

« 

li 

52: 

Christ  crowned  with  Thorns. 

(( 

il 

53: 

Ecce  Homo ! 

(( 

ii 

54: 

Pilate  washing  his  Hands. 

(< 

li 

55: 

Christ  bearing  the  Cross. 

£C 

il 

58: 

The  Entombment. 

(t 

il 

59: 

Christ  in  Limbo. 

li 

li 

60: 

The  Resurrection. 

1513- 

11 

61  : 

Sts.  Peter  and  John  healing  at  the  Temple  Gate. 

The  plates  of  1507  and  of  1 509  are  the  simplest  in  execution  of  the  whole  series. 
The  two  of  1508,  as  well  as  that  of  1511,  are  of  similar  workmanship,  but  are 
carried  farther  toward  pictorial  completeness,  and  readily  show  their  close  rela- 
tionship, as  already  pointed  out,  to  "Christ  dying  on  the  Cross"  (No.  45),  of  the 
same  year.  In  the  plates  of  151 2  Diirer  has  carried  his  striving  after  variety  of 
texture  farther  than  in  any  of  his  previous  plates,  and  an  endeavor  to  arrive  at  a 
more  harmonious  development  of  chiaroscuro  is  also  very  apparent  in  these  com- 
positions. At  the  same  time,  they  show  the  artist  at  the  height  of  his  technical 
skill ;  they  are  carried  to  the  utmost  degree  of  mechanical  perfection,  in  the  at- 
tainment of  which,  it  cannot  be  denied,  some  of  the  spontaneity  and  freedom 
of  the  earlier  work  has  been  lost.  This  "  finish  "  may,  in  part,  account  for  the 
great  popularity  of  the  set.  It  has  been  copied  any  number  of  times  (see  Heller), 
and  the  plates  have  been  printed  from  until  they  have  been  worn  almost  out  of 
recognition.  A  couple  of  these  hideous  late  impressions  are  here  shown  as  de- 
terrent examples  (Nos.  47b  and  Sib).  The  last  plate  finally,  dated  1513,  only 
loosely  connected  with  the  others  as  regards  the  Bible  story,  is  the  same  in 
method  as  those  of  the  preceding  year,  but  seems  to  betray  a  feeling  of  fatigue. 

In  the  printing,  the  set  in  this  exhibition, —  and,  as  it  would  seem,  all  good 
sets, —  varies  somewhat.    The  title-page,  being  the  most  open  in  work,  although 


52 


ST.  VERONICA  WITH  THE  SUDARIUM. 

(No.  62,) 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


not  the  oldest  (1509),  is  quite  clean  wiped;  No.  57,  the  earliest  (1507),  is  prac- 
tically clean  wiped.  In  the  other  plates  there  is  more  or  less  very  delicate  tint- 
ing. It  is  quite  specially  apparent  in  No.  49,  "  Christ  before  Caiaphas."  The 
figure  of  Caiaphas  is  clean  wiped,  even  to  his  right  foot  standing  on  the  stone  plat- 
form, on  which  latter  a  tint  has  been  left.  The  heads  of  Christ  and  the  two  sol- 
diers, the  breastplate  of  the  soldier  nearest  Caiaphas,  the  right  shoulder  of  Christ, 
and  the  right  hand,  holding  the  lance,  of  the  soldier  on  his  right  side  (left  of  plate), 
are  also  wiped  clean, —  purposely  "  picked  out," —  while  all  the  rest  of  the  plate 
shows  a  very  perceptible,  although  delicate,  tint.  What  has  just  been  said  holds 
good  also,  in  a  general  way,  of  the  various  sets  examined  in  Europe,  and  of  the 
very  beautiful  one  in  the  Print  Collection  of  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  Boston, 
"  Christ  before  Caiaphas,"  No.  49,  always  challenges  attention  by  its  artificial 
printing,  and,  in  most  cases,  "  Christ  before  Pilate,"  No.  50,  and  the  "  Ecce 
Homo  !  "  No.  53,  are  about  equal  to  it  in  this  respect.  But  more  or  less  delicate 
tinting  is  apparent  in  all  those  plates  which  have  not  been  specially  mentioned 
as  clean  wiped. 

Of  all  of  Durer's  engravings  on  metal  this  set  is  the  most  frequently  men- 
tioned in  his  Netherlands  Diary,  among  sales  as  well  as  gifts.  His  price  for  it 
was  half  a  florin.  Also  called  "  The  Little  Passion  on  Copper,"  to  distinguish  it 
from  the  large  and  the  small  "  Passion  "  on  wood. 


62  ST.  VERONICA  WITH  THE  SUDARIUM.— B  64;  H  464; 
R  167;  M  64. — Monogram;  dated  1510. 

a.  Photogravure  reproduction  from  the  impression  in  the  collection  of 
King  Frederic  Augustus  II,  of  Saxony,  in  Dresden  (see  plate). 

b.  Petrak's  copy.     Like  all  of  Petrak's  copies,  it  is  very  pretty, —  that 
is  to  say,  too  pretty  to  do  justice  to  the  original. 

A  dry-point  plate,  which,  however,  shows  little  or  no  bur,  Durer's  first  attempt 
of  the  kind.  Passavant's  statement  (III,  p.  146)  that  this  is  a  niello  is  incom- 
prehensible, and  is  refuted  by  the  fact  that  the  monogram  and  the  date  are 
not  reversed  in  the  impression.  Thausing  points  out  the  resemblance  to  Schon- 
gauer's  rendering  of  the  same  subject,  but  this  is  due  supply  to  the  fact  that 

53 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


both  artists  followed  the  usual  type.  Only  two  impressions  from  this  plate  are 
known,  the  one  here  reproduced,  and  another  in  the  Albertina,  at  Vienna.  (See 
the  Introduction,  p.  xxvi,  etc.). 

63  THE  VIRGIN  WITH  THE  PEAR.— B  41 ;  H  621;  R  194; 

M  53. — Monogram  and  date,  151  i,  on  separate  tablets. 

a.  Very  fine  impression.  Warmish  black  ink,  slight  tinting  in  the 
close  work,  especially  in  the  foreground ;  the  lights,  the  distance,  and  the 
sky  clean  wiped.  On  paper  of  a  fine  warmish  tone.  From  the  Collec- 
tion of  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch. 

b.  Also  a  very  fine  impression.  Black  ink,  on  somewhat  lighter  paper, 
similarly  printed,  but  the  sky  and  distance  not  wiped  as  closely  as  in  a, 
with  the  result  that  they  "  come  forward  "  somewhat  too  much.  Water- 
mark similar  to  Hausmann,  No.  7.  From  the  Von  Feder  and  Von  Liphart 
Collections. 

The  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin  are  of  the  most  brilliant 
sort,  printed  in  the  blackest  ink,  with  very  little  tinting. 

The  workmanship  harmonizes  closely  with  the  plate  of  "  The  Little  Passion," 
which  bears  the  same  date,  151 1, —  that  is  to  say,  it  is  quite  uniform,  with  very 
little  striving  for  difference  in  texture. 

Thausing  (II,  pp.  59,  60)  rates  this  as  one  of  the  two  most  beautiful  Madonnas 
engraved  by  Diirer,  the  other  being  B  35  (No.  67  of  this  catalogue), —  a  rating 
which  will  probably  be  questioned.  There  is  a  pen  study  in  the  Berlin  Cabi- 
net (Lippmann,  No.  29). 

64  THE  MAN  OF  SORROWS,  WITH  HANDS  TIED.— 

B  21  ;  H  445;  R  195;  M  64. — Monogram;  dated  151 2. 

Good,  although  very  delicate  impression. 

Diirer's  second  dry-point  plate.  The  work  must  have  been  very  delicate,  with 
but  little  bur,  from  the  beginning.  Certainly  the  impressions  in  the  cabinets  at 
Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin  show  scarcely  any.  Passavant  also  states 
that  it  is  always  found  "  tres-faible  de  ton."  (See  Introduction,  p.  xxvi,  etc.  See 
Lippmann,  No.  319,  for  a  drawing  in  the  Louvre.) 

54 


ST.  JEROME  BY  THE  WILLOW-TREE. 
(No.  65.) 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


65  ST.  JEROME  BY  THE  WILLOW  TREE.— B  59 ;  H  770; 
R  196;  M  65. — Monogram  in  the  2D  state;  dated  1512. 

a.  First  state,  before  the  monogram.  Photogravure  reproduction  of 
the  proof  in  the  Print  Room  of  the  British  Museum,  London,  the  richest 
impression  known. 

b.  First  state,  before  the  monogram.  Photogravure  reproduction 
of  the  proof  in  the  Albertina,  at  Vienna.  Not  as  rich  as  a,  the  bur 
having  begun  to  wear. 

c.  Second  state,  with  the  monogram.  Photogravure  reproduction  of 
one  of  the  richest  impressions  of  this  state  known,  in  the  Albertina,  at 
Vienna  (see  plate). 

d.  Second  state,  with  the  monogram.  Impression  from  the  plate  it- 
self. Not  as  rich  as  the  impression  from  which  the  photogravure  c  was 
made,  but  still  showing  some  of  the  bur,  and  much  richer  than  the  im- 
pressions ordinarily  seen.  Note  especially  the  monogram,  which  ex- 
hibits very  plainly,  not  only  the  characteristic  impressed  dry-point  white 
line,  but  even  the  jagged  edge  of  the  bur. 

e.  Third  state,  that  is  to  say,  after  the  bur  had  worn  off  completely. 
In  this  state  the  plate  is  a  mere  ruin,  and  there  is  a  hole  in  it,  to  left  of 
middle,  near  the  lower  margin.  Watermark,  a  castle-gate,  but  different 
from  those  given  by  Hausmann.    From  the  Storck  Collection. 

The  series  of  prints  here  shown  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  wearing  of  the  plate, 
although  the  photogravure  a  emphasizes  the  contrasts  somewhat  too  much, 
and,  in  the  nature  of  things,  cannot  quite  render  the  velvetiness  of  dry-point. 
Impressions  showing  any  bur  at  all  are  very  rare,  so  that  most  collections, 
public  as  well  as  private,  are  compelled  to  put  up  with  prints  from  the  ruined 
plate,  like  e.  Of  the  first  state,  before  the  monogram,  only  the  two  impressions 
are  known  from  which  reproductions  are  shown  here.  Besides  the  fine  second 
state  in  Vienna  (see  c),  there  is  a  good  impression  of  the  same  state  in  Paris, 
and  fairly  good  ones  in  London  and  Berlin.  Middleton  says  there  are  two 
impressions  known  "  before  the  monogram  and  date,"  but  he  does  not  name 
the  collection  or  collections  in  which  they  are  to  be  found. 

This  is  Durer's  third  dry-point,  strengthened  here  and  there  with  the  graver. 

55 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


Thausing  (II,  p.  62)  is  inclined  to  think  that  Rembrandt  must  have  been 
inspired  by  it  to  take  up  the  dry-point.  In  tlie  light  of  the  impressions  from 
the  ruined  plate,  which  were,  heretofore,  the  only  ones  accessible  to  American 
students,  this  suggestion  seemed  incredible.  Tlie  series  here  shown  gives  more 
coloring  to  it.    (See  Introduction,  p.  xxvi,  etc.) 

66  THE  HOLY  FAMILY.— B  43;  H  648;  R  222;  M  66.— 
Without  monogram  or  date. 

a.  First  state.    Magnificent  impression  from  the  plate  in  its  best  con- 
dition, showing  all  the  richness  of  effect  produced  by  the  bur. 

b.  Second  state,  with  the    graver   stroke  across  the  face  of  the 
Madonna,  and  all  the  bur  worn  off.    From  the  Ruhl  Collection. 

Fine  impressions  from  this  plate  are  also  quite  rare,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
"  St.  Jerome  "  (No.  65),  even  celebrated  pubhc  collections  must  content  them- 
selves with  the  ruins  usually  seen.  London  has  a  fine,  rich  impression,  and  so 
has  Berlin.  The  only  other  good  impression  in  the  United  States,  besides  the 
one  here  shown,  is  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston.  It  is  fairly  rich  in  bur,  but 
unfortunately  has  been  cut  on  top,  and  is  otherwise  damaged.  Three  states 
have  been  made  of  this  plate,  with  bur,  without  bur,  and  with  the  graver  stroke. 
A  fourth  might  be  made, —  after  the  attempted  removal  of  the  graver  stroke. 
But  these  are  not  really  states,  and  it  would  be  best, —  as  also  in  the  case  of 
the  "St.  Jerome", —  to  drop  the  designation  "states"  altogether,  and  to  speak 
only  of  impressions  with  much,  with  little,  or  without  bur,  and  of  impressions 
from  the  ruined  plate.  There  are  even  worse  impressions  than  6,  with 
scratches  in  other  parts  of  the  plate.  The  short,  heavy,  diagonal  scratch  imme- 
diately over  the  stone  in  lower  right  comer  seems  to  show  on  all  impressions. 

Although  there  is  neither  monogram  nor  date  on  this  plate,  it  is  unhesitat- 
ingly accepted  as  by  Diirer,  and  is  generally  accounted  to  be  his  fourth  and 
last  dry-point,  which  would  assign  it  to  the  year  151 2  or  later.  He  never  tried 
the  process  again.  The  bad  wearing  qualities  of  such  plates  probably  disap- 
pointed him,  and  he  cared  too  little  for  chiaroscuro  to  become  enamored  of  the 
dry-point,  as  Rembrandt  did  in  the  succeeding  century.  Little  did  he  think, 
no  doubt,  when,  in  his  disgust,  he  ran  his  graver  across  the  face  of  the  Virgin, 
for  the  purpose  of  making  the  plate  useless  for  ever,  that  it  would  outlive  him, 
and  would  be  used,  almost  to  his  disgrace,  in  after  generations. 

Heller  assigns  the  plate  to  1500-06,  probably  because  the  monogram  and  the 
date  1506  have  been  added  on  an  early  copy.    The  same  intrinsically  unreliable 

56 


THE  HOLY  FAMILY. 
(No.  66.) 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


piece  of  evidence  misleads  even  Von  Zahn  to  say  (on  p.  49,  in  the  course  of  his 
remarks  on  the  slightness  of  the  influence  exercised  on  Diirer  by  Venetian  art) : 
"  Only  the  etched  [should  be  "  dry-pointed  "]  representation  of  the  Holy  Family 
executed  in  the  year  of  his  stay  at  Venice  is  pervaded  by  a  harmony  which 
gives  it  spiritual  kinship  with  the  largeness  of  conception  of  the  Venetian  school, 
and  which  extends  to  all  the  figures,  with  the  exception  of  the  ugly  child."  Pro- 
fessor Colvin,  who,  however,  favors  1513,  also  speaks  of  this  plate  ("  Portfolio," 
1877)  as  the  one  "in  which  Diirer  draws  nearest  to  ItaHan  types,  and  in  one 
figure  at  least,  the  bearded  Joseph  with  his  upturned  face,  is  almost  with  strict- 
ness Venetian."  A  similar  remark  might  be  applied  to  the  St.  Jerome  in  the 
preceding  plate,  which  is  clearly  dated  15 12.  There  is  no  reason,  therefore, 
why  this  "  Holy  Family  "  should  not  be  grouped  together  with  the  rest  of 
Diirer's  dry-points.    Retberg  dates  it  about  1516,  without  giving  a  reason. 

Diirer's  dry-points  furnish  a  striking  illustration  of  the  loose  manner  in  which, 
as  a  rule,  technical  questions  are  treated  by  writers  on  art.  Bartsch,  who  cer- 
tainly ought  to  have  known  better,  speaks  of  this  "  Holy  Family,"  as  well  as  of 
the  "  St.  Jerome  by  the  Willow  Tree  "  and  "  The  Man  of  Sorrows,  with  Hands 
tied,"  as  etchings  on  plates  of  iron  (although  he  opines  the  "  St.  Veronica  "  to 
be  a  dry-point),  and  many  writers  have  followed  him  in  this,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  Retberg  and  Hausmann  long  ago  pointed  out  their  true  nature,  and  that  an 
examination  of  a  good  impression  distinctly  shows  the  peculiar  white  lines 
which  are  characteristic  of  dry-point  work.     (See  Introduction,  p.  xxvi,  etc.) 


67  THE  VIRGIN  SEATED,  CARESSING  THE  CHRIST 
CHILD.— B  35;    H  599;  R  201;   M  68.— Monogram  ; 

DATED  15  13. 

a.  Very  fine,  clear  impression,  w^ith  very  delicate  tinting  in  close 
work.    Black  ink  on  white  paper. 

b.  Also  a  very  fine  impression,  but  slightly  warmer,  which  is  due  to 
heavier  tinting,  and,  principally,  to  the  color  of  the  paper,  which, 
although  white,  is  not  as  purely  white  as  that  of  a.  From  the  Peoli 
Collection. 

The  impressions  examined  in  the  European  cabinets  vary  in  the  ink  and  the 
wiping  about  as  those  here  exhibited,  but  all  of  them  show  some  tinting,  even 
the  one  in  Dresden,  which  is  closer  wiped  than  the  others. 

Thausing  classes  this  plate  and  B  41  (No.  63  of  this  catalogue)  as  the  two 

16  57 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


most  beautiful  engravings  of  the  Madonna  by  Diirer,  and  points  out  a  similarity 
in  motive  to  Raphael's  "  Virgin  of  the  Casa  Tempi."  It  may  be  well  to  note 
here  that  in  Heller's  description  of  the  copy,  No.  600  of  his  list,  the  marks  given 
are  reversed,  so  that,  according  to  him,  the  original  would  appear  to  be  the  copy. 

68  THE  SUDARIUM  DISPLAYED  BY  TWO  ANGELS.— 

B  25  ;  H  467  ;  R  202  ;  M  70. —  Monogram  and  date,  15 13, 

ON  A  TAG. 

a.  Very  fine,  silvery  impression.  Black  ink,  practically  clean  wiped, 
on  white  paper.    From  the  Mariette  and  the  Von  Liphart  Collections. 

b.  Also  very  fine,  but  quite  different — warmish  black  ink,  on  paper 
of  a  luminous  tone,  with  delicate  tinting  in  the  close  work.  The  result  is 
more  contrast  than  in  a,  despite  the  softer  ink. 

The  impressions  in  the  European  cabinets,  and  that  in  the  Gray  Collection, 
Boston,  are,  generally  speaking,  like  a. 

Mr.  Middleton  contends  that  this  plate  "  was  both  bitten-in  and  completed 
with  the  acid."    (See  the  remarks  in  the  Introduction,  pp.  xxxv,  xxxvi.) 

This  appears  to  be  the  print  to  which  Diirer,  in  his  Netherlands  Diary, 
alludes  as  "  The  Veronica."  Bartsch  calls  it  "  The  Face  of  Christ."  Thausing 
advances  the  conjecture  (II,  p.  61)  that  it  was  intended  as  a  finale  to  "The 
Passion  on  Copper,"  although  it  differs  from  the  plates  composing  this  series 
in  shape  as  well  as  in  size. 

69  THE  KNIGHT,  DEATH,  AND  THE  DEVIL.— B  98;  H 

1013;  R  203;  M  69. —  Monogram  and  date,  15 13,  pre- 
ceded BY  AN  S,  ON  A  tablet. 

a.  Very  fine  impression.    Black  ink,  clean  wiped,  white  paper. 

b.  Very  fine,  rich  impression.  Warmish  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  but 
some  of  the  most  closely  worked  parts  filled,  on  tinted  paper. 

c.  Very  good  impression,  on  delicately  tinted  paper,  printed  in  a 
warmish  ink,  very  closely  wiped,  but  yet  with  slight  tinting,  and  for  all 
these  reasons  producing  a  soft  eff'ect. 

58 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


d.  Similar  to  c,  but  printed  with  a  colder  ink.  Broad  margin.  From 
the  Von  Liphart  Collection. 

e.  Copy.    Heller,  No.  3. 

A  very  interesting  series  of  impressions,  and  yet  none  of  them  quite  equal  to 
the  two  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston.  One  of  these  is  considerably  darker 
than  either  of  the  four  here  shown,  printed  in  intensely  black  ink  on  white 
paper,  the  lines  very  full,  with  just  a  suspicion  of  tinting  throughout  the  close 
work.  The  other,  more  "  silvery," —  that  is  to  say,  more  closely  wiped, —  without 
any  tinting,  also  in  intensely  black  ink  on  white  paper,  stands  between  the  dark 
impression  and  our  a.  The  impression  in  London,  in  a  rich,  warmish  black,  is 
clean  wiped,  with  very  little  tinting;  Dresden  has  one  of  the  delicate,  rather 
grayish  impressions,  with  much  delicate  tinting;  Berlin  a  very  fine  dark  impres- 
sion, but  nevertheless  quite  clean  wiped,  and  therefore  open  throughout.  The 
impression  in  Paris  is  framed.  For  this  plate,  the  dark  impressions  are  decid- 
edly to  be  preferred,  as  the  dark  tone  emphasizes  the  "  Stimmung"  (see  below, 
under  No.  71). 

As  to  the  meaning  of  the  composition,  Diirer  himself  is,  unfortunately,  quite 
non-committal,  since  he  speaks  of  this  plate  simply  as  "  A  Horseman."  The 
titles  invented  for  it  by  others  are  manifold :  "  Le  Manege  "  (the  art  of  riding  or 
the  riding-school),  "  The  Horse  of  Death,"  "  The  Knight  of  Death,"  "  The 
Knight  of  the  Reformation,"  "  Fortitude"  (Ruskin),  etc.  Old  catalogues  say 
that  it  represents  a  Nuremberg  soldier,  named  Rinck  or  Rinneck,  who  lost  his 
way  and  met  death  and  the  devil  in  the  darkness  of  the  night — a  story  which 
is  contradicted  by  the  lighting  of  the  composition.  Heller  calls  it  "  The  Chris- 
tian Knight  with  Death  and  the  Devil,"  and  states  that  it  has  been  held  to 
represent  Franz  von  Sickmgen  (mildly  indicated  by  the  S  before  the  date),  "  who 
was  especially  and  generally  feared  in  Germany  about  15 10-12,  and  whose 
character  was  depicted  by  his  enemies  at  the  time  in  the  most  terrible  and 
damaging  manner,"  Retberg  styles  it  "  The  Knight  in  Spite  of  Death  and  the 
Devil,"  and  conjectures  that  Diirer  intended  it  as  a  sort  of  monument  to  his  friend 
Stefan  Paumgartner,  whence  the  S  which  precedes  the  date.  Rosenberg,  on  the 
contrary,  who,  with  others,  including  Kaufmann  (p.  66),  connects  the  subject 
with  the  Dance  of  Death,  sees  in  it  rather  "  Death  and  the  Devil  in  Spite  of  all 
Knighthood,"  and  explains  the  S  as  salus,  being  an  abbreviation  of  an;20  salutis 
(in  the  year  of  grace).  Thausing,  who  says  that  the  knight  is  grinning,  to  show 
how  little  he  is  affected  by  the  apparitions  around  him,  therein  agreeing  with 
Mr.  Ruskin,  is  of  opinion  that  the  plate  was  intended  to  form  one  of  a  series 
illustrating  the  four  temperaments,  and  that  the  S  stands  for  sanguinicus.  (See 
below,  under  Nos.  70  and  71.)    Springer,  following  Ephrussi,  conjectures  that 

59 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


the  horseman  is  simply  the  "  Christian  Knight,"  and  that  the  inspiration  came 
from  a  book,  "  Miles  Christianus,"  written  by  Erasmus,  in  which  said  knight  is 
exhorted  to  do  battle  against  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil.  As  this  inter- 
pretation would  need  three  apparitions,  the  poor  dog,  who  is  faithfully  trotting 
along  at  the  heels  of  his  master,  would  have  to  be  degraded  to  the  role  of  the 
flesh !  It  is  interesting  to  note  also  Vasari's  description.  He  speaks  of  the 
plate  (Mrs.  Foster,  III,  p.  494)  as  representing  "  an  armed  man  on  horseback,  as 
the  symbol  of  Human  Force,  which  is  finished  with  such  care  that  the  glitter 
of  the  arms  and  the  gloss  of  the  black  horse's  coat  are  clearly  to  be  distin- 
guished, an  effect  of  very  difficult  production  in  design.  This  bold  rider  had 
Death  with  his  hour-glass  beside  him,  and  the  Devil  behind.  There  was  in  the 
same  picture  a  rough-haired  dog,  executed  with  the  most  subtle  delicacy  that 
can  possibly  be  given  to  an  engraving."  Even  the  blades  of  grass  under  the 
hoof  of  the  right  hind  leg  of  the  horse  have  become  objects  of  discussion,  some 
holding  them  to  indicate  a  trap  into  which  the  horse  is  about  to  step,  while  others, 
like  Mr.  Ruskin  (see  his  remarks,  "  Modern  Painters,"  Part  IX,  Chap,  iv),  ex- 
plain them  as  a  former  outline  which  Diirer  did  not  know  how  to  efface.  It  is 
claimed  by  Grimm,  who  is  followed  by  Thausing,  that  the  horse  is  modeled  on 
that  of  Verrocchio's  Colleoni.  This  is  quite  impossible,  however,  unless  we 
assume  that  Diirer,  in  trying  to  improve  upon  his  model,  falsified  it  after  a  most 
astonishing  fashion.  For  while  Verrocchio's  horse  is  correct  in  its  gait,  Dlirer's 
has  the  position  of  the  feet  conventionally  adopted  by  most  sculptors,  but  which, 
as  Mr.  Muybridge's  investigations  have  shown  us,  is  totally  at  variance  with 
nature.  Diirer's  studies  for  this  plate  (in  the  Ambrosiana,  at  Milan,  and  the 
Uffizi,  at  Florence,  according  to  Ephrussi),  or  at  least  the  studies  which  he 
utilized  in  it,  reach  back  to  the  year  1498.  (See  also  the  remarks  in  regard  to 
"  Stimmung,"  etc.,  under  No.  71.) 


70  MELANCHOLY.— B  74;  H  846;  R  209;  M  74.— Monogram; 

DATED  I  5  14. 

a.  Very  brilliant  impression,  with  the  face  of  the  brooding  genius  in 
perfect  condition.  Strong  black  ink,  on  white  paper,  practically  clean 
wiped,  but  rather  full  in  the  lines,  and  therefore  the  darkest  parts  filled. 
All  this,  however,  tends  to  add  to  the  effect  of  disquietude,  which  is  the 
keynote  of  the  composition.  (See  below,  under  No.  71.)  From  the 
Brodhurst  Collection. 

b.  Fine  impression,  printed  in  a  softer,  warmish  black  ink,  very  slight 

60 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


tinting,  and  therefore  transparent  throughout.  From  the  Ruhl  Collec- 
tion. 

c.  Similar  to  b,  ink  somewhat  colder,  the  distance  wiped  more  closely, 
which  throws  it  back  better.  Duplicate  from  the  Berlin  Cabinet,  form- 
erly in  the  Von  Nagler  Collection. 

d.  A  very  good  impression,  the  face  in  quite  perfect  condition.  Printed 
in  soft  warmish  ink,  with  a  very  perceptible  tint  all  over  the  plate,  which 
gives  to  the  impression  a  somewhat  heavy  appearance,  and  reduces  the 
contrasts  too  much. 

e.  Copy.  If  this  is  the  copy  by  Jan  Wierix,  which,  at  first  sight,  it 
would  seem  to  be,  it  is  a  proof  before  letter.  Alvin,  No.  1576,  says  that 
in  the  lower  margin  of  this  copy  is  engraved  :  "  Johan.  Wiricx.  Fecit.  Ann. 
1603,"  and  others  say  that  this  margin  is  generally  cut  away.  But  here 
the  margin  evidently  is  not  cut  away,  and  yet  there  is  no  lettering. 
Possibly  it  is  Heller's  copy  No.  847,  with  which  it  agrees  in  size. 

Impressions  a  and  b  offer  again  a  good  opportunity  to  observe  the  difference 
between  filling  and  tinting.  The  best  impressions  in  the  European  cabinets  ex- 
amined are  those  in  London  and  Berlin.  The  former  is  a  beautiful  silvery  gray 
impression,  in  rather  coldish  black  ink,  practically  clean  wiped,  with  only  very 
slight  tinting  here  and  there, —  on  the  polygon  for  instance, —  probably  acci- 
dental. The  impression  in  Berlin  is  in  warmish  black  ink,  with  very  little  tinting. 
In  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  Boston,  there  are  no  less  than  three  impressions,  one 
belonging  to  the  Print  Collection  of  the  Museum  itself,  the  two  others  to  the  Gray 
Collection.  Of  these,  the  first  is  the  finest,  a  silvery  gray  impression,  in  soft 
black  ink,  clean  wiped,  the  face  quite  intact.  The  face  of  the  brooding  genius, 
which  never  was  a  success  as  a  piece  of  engraving,  technically  considered,  soon 
began  to  wear,  and  it  is  therefore  often  defective.  The  slight  blemish  in  the 
water,  a  black  spot  about  one  quarter  of  an  inch  above  the  polygon,  seems  to 
occur  in  all  impressions.  ^ 

This  has  always  been  one  of  the  popular  favorites  among  Diirer's  works,  and 
all  the  more  so  because  of  its  enigmatical  character.  Within  certain  limits,  the 
subject  is  easy  enough  to  understand.  Diirer  calls  it  "  Melancholy  "  in  his 
Netherlands  Diary,  and  this  title,  "  Melencolia.  I.,"  is  plainly  indicated  on  the 
print  Itself  But  here  the  difficulty  begins.  Is  the  character  after  the  word  Me- 
lencolia the  figure  one  or  the  letter  I  ?  Passavant  (III,  p.  153)  claims  that  it  is 
the  latter,  and  that  it  means  "  Melencolia  i !  " — "  Melancholy  avaunt !  "  Thau- 

61 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


sing,  on  the  other  hand,  sees  in  it  merely  a  numeral,  indicating  that  the  print 
is  the  first  in  a  series  of  the  Four  Temperaments,  but  Allihn  (p.  98)  asks  ])oint- 
edly  :  "  Who  among  the  contemporaries  of  Diirer  would  have  found  this  solu- 
tion ?  "  Again,  it  may  be  objected, —  If  this  is  a  number,  why  did  not  Diirer 
number  the  other  plates  ?  For  further  details  the  student  is  referred  to  Allihn, 
p.  94  etc.  Thausing  (II,  p.  222)  writes  as  follows:  "The  winged  woman 
who,  supporting  her  cheek  in  her  left  hand,  and  with  a  laurel  wreath  on  her 
loosely  bound  hair,  is  seated  plunged  in  gloomy  meditation,  all  the  materials  for 
human  labor,  for  art,  and  for  science  lying  scattered  around  her, —  what  could 
she  be  meant  to  represent  but  Human  Reason,  in  despair  at  the  limits  imposed 
upon  her  power  ?  "  That  the  theory  of  the  Four  Temperaments  was  very  popu- 
lar at  the  time,  and  quite  likely  to  inspire  Diirer,  has  been  well  shown  by  Allihn. 
Ephrussi,  Springer,  and  Kaufmann  also  agree  that  we  have  here  a  representation 
of  one  of  the  Four  Temperaments,  but  they  call  attention  to  the  fact  that,  in 
Durer's  time,  these  "  temperaments  "  did  not  signify  "  moods,"  but  classes  of 
men.  "  Melancholic,"  therefore,  did  not  mean  morose,  brooding,  but  studious. 
In  this  sense,  Diirer  himself  belonged  to  the  "  melancholic  "  class,  in  as  much  as 
he  was  studious.  From  this  point  of  view,  the  print  under  consideration  would 
be  nothing  more  than  an  allegory  of  study  and  labor.  Vasari  describes  it 
as  follows  (Mrs.  Foster's  translation.  III,  p.  491) :  "  On  one  plate,  of  half-folio, 
he  delineated  Melancholy,  surrounded  by  all  those  instruments  which  are  wont 
to  bring  thoughts  of  sadness  to  him  who  uses  them,  or  to  the  man  who  listens 
to  their  strains  [«V.'J;  the  whole  being  so  well  expressed  that  it  is  not  possible 
for  the  burin  to  produce  more  delicate  results."  (See  the  general  remarks  on 
"  Stimmung,"  etc.,  under  No.  71.  See  also  Mr.  Ruskin,  in  "Modern  Painters," 
Part  IX,  Chap,  iv.) 

Much  discussion  has  been  caused  by  the  "  magic  square,"  with  the  bell  over 
it  and  the  hour-glass  to  left  of  it.  Whether  we  read  the  numbers  across  horizon- 
tally, or  up  and  down,  or  along  the  diagonals  which  cross  it  from  corner  to 
corner,  the  sum  is  always  34.  Cust  writes,  p.  63 :  "  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  the  so-called  'magic  square'  refers  directly  to  the  death  of  his  [Diirer's] 
mother.  His  mother  died  on  May  17,  1514.  Now,  the  figures  on  the  square 
can  be  read  as  follows :  The  two  figures  in  the  opposite  corners  to  each  other, 
16  +  1  and  i3-f4,  make  17,  the  day  of  the  month;  so  do  the  figures  in  the 
center  read  crossways,  10-I-7  and  ii-f6,  and  also  the  middle  figures  at  the 
sides  read  across,  5  +  12  and  8-f  9.  The  two  middle  figures  in  the  top  line, 
3-I-2,  give  5,  the  month  in  question;  and  the  two  middle  figures  in  the  bottom 
line  give  the  year,  15 14.  Above  the  square  a  bell  tolls  the  fatal  knell,  and 
the  sandglass  timepiece  hard  by  records  no  doubt  the  hour  at  which  the  sad 
event  happened."  It  may  not  be  worth  while  to  point  out  that  there  is  some 
doubt  as  to  the  exact  date  of  the  death  of  Diirer's  mother, —  whether  she 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


died  on  May  i6  or  May  17  (for  the  evidence  see  Lange  and  Fuhse,  pp.  9 
and  13,  with  the  footnotes,  and  p.  396),  but  Gust's  reference  to  Anton 
Springer's  book  is  certainly  not  justified,  as  the  author  named  merely  speaks  of 
the  sum  of  34,  produced  by  reading  across,  etc.  In  accordance  with  the  idea 
here  developed,  Gust  (pp.  61-64)  would  bring  this  whole  group  of  engravings, 
Nos.  69,  70,  and  71,  into  close  connection  with  the  artist's  private  life. 

71  ST.  JEROME  IN  HIS  STUDY  — B  60;  H  756;  R  208; 

M  73.  MOiNOGRAM  AND  DATE,    I514,   ON  A  TABLET. 

a.  Very  beautiful,  silvery  impression.  Soft  black  ink,  on  white  paper, 
very  delicate  tinting  in  the  close  v^^ork.  From  the  Crawhall  and  the  Mar- 
shall Collections. 

b.  Also  a  very  fine  impression.  Printed  in  somewhat  warmer  ink  than 
a,  and  a  trifle  heavier.    From  the  Von  Liphart  Collection. 

c.  Copy  by  Jerome  Wierix,  "JE  13,"  i.  e.,  engraved  when  he  was  only 
thirteen  years  old.    Alvin,  No.  992. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  to  have  this  print  in  delicate,  thoroughly  transparent 
impressions.  One  of  its  greatest  charms  is  the  reflected  light  which  fills  the 
room  and  penetrates  even  the  shadow  under  the  bench  along  the  wall.  This 
effect,  which  is  so  thoroughly  in  accord  with  the  subject, —  expresses  its 
"Stimmung"  (see  the  remarks  below), —  is  lost  in  heavy  or  dull  impressions. 
It  is  this  transparency  which  gives  their  charm  to  the  impressions  shown.  Never- 
theless, it  must  be  said  that  there  are  still  better,  more  "  silvery  "  ones.  An  im- 
pression of  this  kind  is  the  one  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston, —  printed  in  a 
soft  black  ink,  on  whitish  paper,  practically  clean  wiped,  with  only  almost  im- 
perceptible tinting  in  the  close  work.  Possibly  the  print  might  make  a  still  sun- 
nier effect  if  the  ink  were  slightly  warmer.  There  is  nothing  better,  however, 
than  the  impression  just  described  to  be  seen  in  the  cabinets  of  either  Paris, 
London,  Dresden,  or  Berlin,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  has  a  false  margin,  which, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  does  not  affect  its  artistic  qualities. 

It  is  a  relief  to  come  upon  a  subject  among  Diirer's  works  which  is  so  suffi- 
cient in  itself  as  to  need  no  explanation.  The  story  of  St.  Jerome  was  popular 
at  the  time  (see  under  No.  6),  and  it  is  quite  natural,  therefore,  that  Durer 
should  have  utilized  the  Saint,  tranquilly  at  work  upon  his  translation  of  the 
Bible,  the  Vulgate,  as  the  life-giving  human  element  in  the  representation  of  a 
quiet,  comfortable,  sunlit  interior,  which,  in  spite  of  Mr.  Hamerton's  criticisms, 

63 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


will  continue  to  please  mankind  by  its  very  wealth  of  detail.  Nor  does  this 
detail  disturb  the  general  effect,  as  those  may  see  who  will  take  the  trouble  to 
look  at  the  picture  through  the  hollow  hand.  The  claim  of  the  commentators 
on  Diirer,  that  this  plate  is  the  third  in  the  proposed  series  of  the  "  Four  Tem- 
peraments "  (leaving  only  the  choleric  to  be  provided  for),  does  not  interfere 
with  its  enjoyment,  even  if  we  accept  Thausing's  interpretation.  "  The  phleg- 
matic temperament,"  says  he  (II,  p.  224),  "must  be  the  one  here  intended  to 
be  represented,  but  phlegmatic  in  the  higher  sense  of  the  word,  a  sense,  too, 
which  was  in  accordance  with  the  history  of  the  time.  Durer's  St.  Jerome  is 
symbolical  of  that  humanistic  learning  which,  coming  from  Italy,  found  its 
chief  representative  in  Erasmus  of  Rotterdam, —  of  that  aristocratic  intellectual 
tendency  which  desires  above  all  to  secure  the  theoretical  standpoint  of  know- 
ledge, attaching  itself  exclusively  to  the  governing  classes,  and  keeping  care- 
fully clear  of  the  people  and  their  life.  This  wise  man,  were  he  to  speak, 
would  cry  out  in  the  words  of  Goethe's  scholar  in  the  second  part  of '  Faust' : 

"  The  present  leads  us  to  exaggeration. 
I  seek  in  what  is  written  my  salvation." 

Vasari,  without  going  into  speculations  as  to  its  meaning,  speaks  very  highly 
of  this  plate  (Mrs.  Foster,  III,  p.  495) :  "  Finally,  Albert  Durer  sent  forth  his 
plate  of  San  Jeronimo,  robed  in  the  vestments  of  a  cardinal,  and  writing,  with 
the  lion  sleeping  at  his  feet.  In  this  engraving  the  master  has  imitated  a 
chamber  with  windows  of  glass,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  streaming  through 
them  fall  on  the  place  where  the  saint  sits  writing,  in  a  manner  which  is  so 
natural  as  to  be  a  marvel.  There  are,  moreover,  books,  clocks,  writings,  and  a 
large  number  of  objects  besides,  all  so  well  done  that  in  this  branch  of  art  there 
could  not  well  be  imagined  anything  better." 

But,  whatever  the  exact  meaning  of  the  "  St.  Jerome "  and  its  two  com- 
panion plates  may  be, —  whether  we  accept  them,  with  Thausing,  Kaufmann, 
and  others,  as  fragments  of  a  supposed  series  of  the  "  Four  Temperaments,"  or 
whether  we  are  ready  to  listen  to  the  objections  of  Ephrussi, —  certain  it  is  that 
they  fully  deserve  the  fame  and  favor  which  they  have  so  long  commanded, 
and  that  for  this  fame  and  favor  there  is  quite  a  peculiar  reason.  It  is  evident 
at  first  sight  that  they  possess  a  pictorial  quality  which  is  not  equaled  by  any 
other  of  the  artist's  works.  They  are  as  "  finished,"  as  complete,  and  yet  not 
as  "  set,"  as  the  plates  of  "  The  Little  Passion,"  and  they  display  an  agreeable 
variety  of  texture  which  calls  up  suggestions  of  color.  These,  however,  are 
not  their  only,  nor  their  best  qualities.  "  The  Knight,  Death,  and  the  Devil," 
"  Melancholy,"  and  "  St.  Jerome  in  his  Study,"  are,  of  all  Durer's  engravings, 
those  in  which  he  most  transcends  the  limits  of  his  slavery  to  outward  formal- 
ism, and  rises  into  that  higher  artistic  realm  where  the  emotions  have  control. 

64 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


These  three  prints  are  truly  "  Stimmungsbilder,"  and  as  such  they  stand  alone, 
not  only  among  the  works  of  Diirer,  but  also  among  those  of  his  predecessors 
and  contemporaries,  certainly  as  far  as  engraving  is  concerned,  and  quite 
probably  also  painting.  That  this  is  so  has  repeatedly  been  recognized  in  the 
case  of  the  "  St.  Jerome."  "  What  Diirer  sought  above  all  [in  this  print]  "  says 
Ephrussi,  "  is  a  striking  effect  of  light,  which  he  obtained  with  rare  success." 
Only  later,  he  adds,  the  Dutch,  and  they  only,  and  especially  Rembrandt,  at- 
tained to  such  prodigious  skill  in  this  respect.  And  Springer  says  :  "  The  '  St. 
Jerome'  is  throughout  of  a  thoroughly  painter-like  type,  and  for  this  reason  is 
epoch-making,  in  Durer's  development,  as  well  as  in  the  history  of  engraving." 
But  what  is  true  of  the  "  St.  Jerome  "  is  true  also  of  its  companions,  although 
in  their  case  it  may  not  be  so  obviously  apparent.  "  Stimmung,"  in  a  painting, 
— there  is  no  absolute  equivalent  in  English  for  the  word  as  here  used, —  is  the 
effect  produced  by  the  lighting  on  the  mind  of  the  beholder.  It  "  attunes " 
him,  it  puts  him  into  a  mood  with  the  motive  of  the  picture,  it  appeals  directly 
to  his  emotions,  while  the  lines  of  the  composition  and  the  forms  which  they 
produce  appeal  primarily  to  his  intellect.  And  Diirer  begins  to  realize  here, 
even  if  he  never  fully  learned  to  comprehend,  this  power  which  lies  in  effects 
of  light  :  the  somber  gloom  of  "  The  Knight,  Death,  and  the  Devil "  ;  the 
weird,  unearthly  glitter  of  the  "  Melancholy,"  with  its  uncertain,  glinting  lights; 
the  soft  tranquil  sunshine  of  the  "  St.  Jerome,"  are  all  in  accordance  with  their 
several  subjects,  which,  whether  they  were  originally  intended  or  not  to  repre- 
sent "  classes  of  men  "  or  "  moods,"  certainly  call  up  the  latter  in  the  minds  of 
the  beholder, —  the  steady  courage  of  the  valiant  fighter  for  the  right,  undis- 
mayed by  darkness  and  dangers;  the  brooding,  leading  well-nigh  to  despair, 
over  the  vain  efforts  of  human  science  to  lift  the  veil  of  the  eternal  secret,  and 
the  calm  content  of  the  mind  at  peace  with  itself  and  the  world  around  it. 
Does  not  this  unity  of  contrast,  so  to  speak, —  this  conscious  variation  in  the 
lighting  of  these  three  prints, —  go  to  prove  that  they  belong  together  ?  Among 
the  writers  who  have  grasped  the  idea  here  developed,  F.  Lippmann  is  espe- 
cially to  be  mentioned  ("  Der  Kupferstich,"  pp.  49,  50). 

One  is  almost  tempted  to  despair  of  Mr.  Ruskin's  ability  to  be  just,  reading 
such  a  passage  as  this  in  his  "  Ariadne  " :  "  People  are  always  talking  of  his 
[Diirer's]  Knight  and  Death,  and  his  Melancholia,  as  if  those  were  his  princi- 
pal works.  They  are  his  characteristic  ones,  and  show  what  he  might  have 
been  without  his  anatomy ;  but  they  were  mere  byeplay  compared  to  his 
Greater  Fortune  and  Adam  and  Eve."  Simply  to  uphold  a  notion  of  his, 
Mr.  Ruskin  here  ignores  the  fact  that  the  two  prints  last  named  were  done  ten 
years  before  the  "  Knight,"  etc.,  and  places  the  work  of  Diirer's  maturer  years, 
in  which  he  embodied  the  experience  of  the  man,  below  the  results  of  earlier 
efforts,  in  which  the  effect  of  experimental  studies  is  still  unpleasantly  visible. 

17  65 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


The  "  Knight,  Death,  and  the  Devil "  is  mentioned  only  twice  in  the  Diary, 
"  Melancholy  "  seven,  the  "  St.  Jerome  "  twelve  times.  Diirer's  price  for  them, 
as  for  the  others  of  his  "  full  sheets,"  was  eight  for  one  florin. 

72  THE  BAGPIPER.— B  91 ;  H  895;  R  21 1 ;  M  77.— Monogram  ; 

DATED    I  5  14. 

Very  fine  impression.  Soft,  warmish  ink,  quite  dean  in  the  lights,  very 
delicate  tinting  in  the  close  work.  From  the  Robert-Dumesnil  Col- 
lection. 

All  the  impressions  from  this  plate  examined  in  Europe  are  in  general  like  the 
one  here  shown,  /.  e.,  warmish  black  ink,  clean  in  the  lights,  delicate  tinting  in 
the  close  work.  In  the  two  impressions  in  the  Berlin  Cabinet,  short,  faint  gray 
lines,  about  one  eighth  of  an  inch  long,  are  seen  in  the  lower  right  comer,  in  the 
triangle  formed  by  the  upper  contour  of  the  ground  and  the  border  line.  These 
lines  have  the  appearance  of  shallow  broad  lines,  wiped  out.  The  impression 
in  this  exhibition  shows  traces  in  the  same  place,  as  if  the  lines  had  been  pol- 
ished out  on  the  plate,  but  not  quite  successfully.  The  presence  of  these  lines 
would  therefore  seem  to  be  a  sign  of  early  impression. 

Springer  (p.  i68)  and  Ephrussi  (p.  200)  mention  a  study  for  this  plate  in  the 
Berlin  Cabinet,  but  Lippmann  does  not  reproduce  it. 

73  DANCING  PEASANTS.— B  90 ;  H  912 ;  R  210 ;  M  77.— 

Monogram;  dated  15 14. 

Fine  impression.  Soft,  warmish  ink,  with  considerable  tinting  in  the 
close  work.    The  tone  of  the  paper  aids  the  effect  of  softness. 

The  impressions  examined  vary.  In  Paris  there  is  a  fine  medium  black  one, 
clean  wiped.  It  is  very  instructive  to  compare  the  workmanship,  as  well  as  the 
printing,  of  this  and  the  preceding  plate  with  the  earlier  plates  of  similar  subjects, 
"  The  Peasant  and  His  Wife,"  No.  23,  and  "  The  Three  Peasants  in  Conversa- 
tion," No.  24. 

Durer  really  shows  a  sense  of  humor  in  this  print,  which  is  rare  with  him, — 
in  spite  of  the  claim  made  by  some  writers  that  all  his  representations  of  peas- 
ants are  humorous.  (See  "The  Three  Peasants  in  Conversation,"  No.  24.)  Of 
some  of  the  conceits  in  the  marginal  drawings  for  Maximilian's  Prayer  Book,  it 

66 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


may,  indeed,  be  said  that  they  are  humorous,  but  with  a  gently  ironical  flavor. 
As  an  expression  of  fun  or  mirth,  this  print  stands  alone  among  all  of  his  works. 
The  expressiveness  of  the  faces  is  also  to  be  noted.  As  a  rule,  he  does  not  rise 
above  a  neutral  expression,  or  at  most  the  expression  of  a  lasting  mood.  Here 
we  have  the  expression  of  momentary  excitement.  (See  also  the  i-emarks  under 
Nos.  4  and  12.) 

74  THE  VIRGIN  ON  THE  CRESCENT,  WITH  SHORT 

HAIR  TIED  WITH  A  RIBBON.— B  33;  H  505  ;  R  204  ; 

M  72. —  Monogram;  dated  15 14. 

a.  Fine,  brilliant,  yet  delicate  impression.  Warmish  ink,  with  very 
slight  tinting  in  the  close  work.    From  the  Balmanno  Collection. 

b.  Very  similar  to  a,  but  somewhat  more  delicate,  having  been  printed, 
probably,  with  a  softer  ink.  The  line  around  this  impression  is  drawn  in 
ink. 

c.  Very  "  silvery," —  as  it  was  printed  from  the  worn  plate,  clean 
wiped. 

There  are  both  dark  and  delicate  impressions  from  this  plate,  these  last  later 
than  the  former,  their  delicacy  being  due  to  differences  in  the  ink  used  and  in 
the  wiping.    (See  Introduction,  p.  xxxvi.) 

The  "  man  in  the  moon  "  is  omitted.    Compare  Nos.  8  and  44. 

75  THE  VIRGIN  SITTING  BY  A  WALL  — B  40;  H  610; 

R  205;  M  71. —  Monogram  and  date,  15 14,  on  a  tablet. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  in  soft  black  ink,  on  white  paper,  perceptibly 
tinted  in  the  close  work. 

b.  Also  a  very  fine  impression,  similar  to  a,  but  on  luminous  toned 
paper.  The  slight  tint  in  the  sky,  with  an  accidental  gradation,  gives  to 
the  landscape  an  evening  effect.  Marked  on  the  back  "  B  1602,"  which, 
according  to  Fagan,  shows  that  the  print,  in  the  year  named,  was  in  the 
possession  of  Paul  Behaim,  of  Nuremberg. 

67 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


c.  Very  good  impression,  on  tinted  paper,  witli  a  broad  margin,  but 
more  closely  wiped  than  a  and  b,  and  therefore  not  as  brilliant. 

d.  Reversed  copy,  undescribed. 

There  is  a  fine  medium  dark  impression  in  Paris,  while  London  has  a  silvery 
gray  one,  in  black  ink,  with  only  very  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work.  Those 
in  Dresden  and  in  Berlin,  although  delicate,  are  hardly  "  silvery,"  because  they 
are  printed  with  a  warmish  ink,  with  considerable  tinting. 

Thausing  specially  cites  this  print  in  connection  with  his  theory  concerning 
the  supposed  change  in  technical  processes  adopted  by  Diirer  in  15 14.  Its 
distinctive  feature  is  its  great  variety  of  texture.  As  this  point  has  been  fully 
discussed  in  the  Introduction  (see  pp.  xxxiii  and  xxxvi),  it  is  unnecessary  to  say 
more  here. 


THE  APOSTLES. 

76  ST.  THOMAS  — B  48;  H  667;  R  207;  M  75.— Monogram 

AND  DATE,  I514  (tHE  SECOND  FIGURE  CORRECTED),  ON  A 
TABLET. 

77  ST.  PAUL.—  B  50 ;  H  686 ;  R  206  ;  M  76.—  Monogram  ;  dated 

1514. 

a.  On  white  paper. 

b.  On  tinted  paper.    From  the  Fisher  Collection. 

78  ST.  SIMON.— B  49;  H  678;  R  252;  M  97.— Monogram  ; 

dated  1523. 


19  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW.— B  47;  H  659;  R  251;  M  96.— 
Monogram  and  date,  1523,  on  a  tablet. 

68 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


80  ST.  PHILIP  — B  46;  H652;  R264;  M  loi.— Monogram  AND 

DATE,    1526  (last  figure  CORRECTED),   ON  A  TABLET. 

Good,  clear  impressions,  with  very  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work.  All, 
except  No.  77b,  from  the  Koller  Collection. 

Generally  speaking,  the  impressions  from  these  plates  are  printed  in  a  warmish 
ink,  with  tinting  varying  from  slight  to  heavy.  This  latter  is  the  case,  for  in- 
stance, with  an  impression  of  No.  78,  "  St.  Simon,"  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Bos- 
ton. On  the  other  hand,  an  impression  in  London  of  No.  80,  "  St.  Philip,"  is 
printed  in  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  and  therefore  rather  silvery  in  effect. 

These  plates  have  been  placed  together  here,  because  they  evidently  belong 
together,  although  their  dates  cover  a  period  of  thirteen  years,  the  earliest  being 
dated  1514,  the  latest  1526.  In  accordance  with  this  variation  of  date,  they 
vary  considerably  also  in  execution.  The  two  of  the  year  15 14  hold  their  place 
unchallenged  among  other  works  of  the  same  period.  They  are  simpler  for  the 
very  simple  reason  that  the  subjects  are  simpler.  The  "  St.  Simon,"  No.  78,  of 
the  year  1523,  is  still  similar  to  them;  indeed,  it  reminds  one  very  strongly,  in 
its  workmanship,  of  No.  72,  "The  Bagpiper."  But  in  the  same  year  Diirer 
emancipated  himself  from  the  too  strict  attention  to  finish,  and  hence  the  hand- 
ling of  No.  79,  "  St.  Bartholomew,"  is  much  freer  and  bolder  than  that  of  No, 
78,  although  it  shows  all  the  skill  due  to  an  absolute  command  of  the  graver. 
In  the  plate  of  1526,  finally.  No.  80,  "St.  Philip,"  the  handhng  becomes  still 
bolder,  especially  in  the  ground  and  background,  in  which  reappear  the  long 
sweeping  lines  of  Diirer's  earlier  work,  such  as  are  seen,  for  instance,  in  No.  6, 
"  St.  Jerome  in  Penance."  This  simpler,  more  vigorous  handling  is  character- 
istic of  all  of  his  latest  work. 

Diirer  undoubtedly  intended  to  include  the  whole  of  the  twelve  apostles  in 
this  series,  but  it  was  never  finished.  Thausing  (II,  p.  220)  detects  certain 
psychological  tendencies  in  the  artist  about  this  time  (1514),  which  he  (Diirer) 
developed  "  in  a  manner  peculiarly  his  own,"  inferentially  by  the  creation  of  a 
number  of  character  heads.  "  It  was  with  this  object  in  view  that  he  commenced, 
in  1514,  a  series  of  figures  of  the  Apostles  on  copper,  which,  though  never 
finished,  occupied  him,  as  we  shall  see,  for  more  than  ten  years,  and  which,  in 
connection  with  another  idea  conceived  about  the  same  time,  inspired  the  pro- 
duction of  his  last  great  work."  The  "other  idea"  was  the  theory  of  the  Four 
Temperaments  (see  Nos.  69,  70,  and  71);  the  "last  great  work"  is  the  picture 
of  the  Four  Apostles  which  Diirer  presented  to  his  native  city  in  1526.  Thaus- 
ing points  out  the  striking  resemblance  of  the  St.  Philip  in  this  series,  especially 

69 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


in  the  drapery,  with  the  St.  Paul  in  the  painting.  Lippmann  (No.  177)  repro- 
duces a  pen-and-ink  study  for  the  St.  Paul,  from  the  Von  Lanna  Collection. 


8 J  THE  MAN  OF  SORROWS  SEATED.— B  22;  H  459;  R 
213;  M  80. —  No  monogram;  dated  15 15. 

a.  Fair  impression  of  the  ist  state,  before  the  rusting  of  the  plate. 
From  the  Mariette  Collection. 

b.  From  the  plate  rusted,  worked  over,  and  enlarged  on  both  sides, 
evidently  by  a  later  hand  (Passavant's  "4th  state."    See  below). 

Really  good  impressions  from  this  plate  in  the  first  state  are  quite  rare.  The 
Paris  Cabinet  has  one,  together  with  an  impression  like  b.  London  has  an 
only  fair  impression,  not  quite  sound.  (There  is  in  London  also  an  impression 
of  the  copy  with  Diirer's  monogram,  and  the  date  1510.  Heller,  No.  461.) 
The  impression  in  Dresden  is  a  bad  one.  In  Berlin  there  are  three  impressions, 
a  very  pale  one  from  the  plate  before  rusting,  in  which  the  lines  look  as  if  they 
had  been  wiped  out,  a  good,  strong  impression  from  the  rusted  plate,  and  a 
third  from  the  plate  worked  over. 

Passavant  (III,  p.  149)  describes  four  states,  as  follows:  i.  The  proofs  are 
good  and  clean;  2.  The  impression  is  feeble  and  bad,  the  plate  having  already 
worn ;  3.  The  plate  is  retouched  and  the  stone  on  which  Christ  is  seated  is  no 
longer  entire ;  rust  spots ;  4.  The  stone  and  several  other  parts  are  heavily  re- 
touched ;  many  rust  spots.  Evidently  2  is  not  a  state,  and  3  would  seem 
to  be  merely  a  "  working  proof"  of  the  bungler  who  attempted  to  retouch  the 
plate. 

This  plate  is  etched,  and  probably  Diirer's  first  attempt  of  the  kind,  although 
Thausing  and  others  are  inclined  to  place  "  The  Man  in  Despair,"  No.  85  of 
this  catalogue,  earlier.  Diirer  etched  six  plates  (here  numbered  81-85  ^"^^  ^9)  °" 
iron,  as  is  proven  by  the  plate  of"  Christ  in  the  Garden"  (No.  82)  which,  in 
the  year  1831,  was  in  Heller's  possession,  still  in  very  good  condition.  We 
know  also,  from  plates  still  existing,  that  other  old  etchings,  as,  for  instance, 
those  by  the  Hopfers,  were  done  on  iron.  The  rust  spots  noticeable  in  the 
later  impressions,  which  are  sometimes  adduced  as  evidence  of  the  metal  used, 
are  not,  however,  positive  proof,  since  copper  plates  may  also  corrode,  and  their 
roughened  surface  will  then  produce  similar  spots  in  the  impressions.  (See  the 
Introduction,  p.  xxxi.) 


70 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 

82  CHRIST  IN  THE  GARDEN.— B  19;  H  425;  R  212;  M  81.— 
Monogram;  dated  15 15. 

Early  impression,  before  the  rusting  of  the  plate,  black  ink,  clean 
wiped,  only  slight  tinting  here  and  there.  Not  quite  solid,  however, 
that  is  to  say,  the  lines  not  quite  filled  with  ink,  and  therefore  showing 
white  spots.  Watermark,  castle  gate,  Hausmann,  No.  8.  From  the 
Fisher  Collection. 

The  cabinets  in  Paris,  London,  and  Berlin  have  good  early  impressions,  the 
one  in  Berlin  (where  there  is  also  a  late  impression)  with  considerable  tinting. 
The  impression  in  Dresden  was  on  exhibition  at  the  time  these  notes  were 
made.  The  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  has  only  a  late  impression,  with  many 
rust  spots. 

Etching  on  iron.  The  plate,  still  in  good  condition,  was  in  Heller's  posses- 
sion in  the  year  1831,  the  date  of  publication  of  his  book.  (See  No.  81  and 
Introduction,  p.  xxxi.) 

Two  pen-and-ink  studies,  in  the  Louvre,  are  reproduced  by  Lippmann  (Nos. 
320  and  321).    Ephrussi  (pp.  198,  199)  also  mentions  two  in  the  Albertina. 


83  THE  SUDARIUM  DISPLAYED  BY  ONE  ANGEL,— B  26; 

H  466;  R  223;  M  82. —  Monogram  and  date,  15 16,  on 

A  TAG. 

Fine  early  impression  from  the  plate  before  it  had  rusted.  Printed  in 
soft,  warmish  ink,  with  considerable  tinting  in  the  close  work,  but  most 
of  the  lights  wiped  clean.    With  some  margin. 

The  heavy  tinting  in  this  impression,  which  has  even  been  left  in  some  of  the 
minor  lights,  is  instructive  in  the  history  of  printing.  The  earlier  printers,  of  the 
fifteenth  and  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  could  not  have  wiped  such 
a  tint.  The  impressions  examined  in  the  European  cabinets  differ  considerably 
in  this  respect.  The  one  in  London,  from  the  plate  in  its  best  state,  shows 
strong  tinting  in  all  but  the  broad  lights,  and  so  strong  in  the  right  wing  of  the 
angel  (to  left  on  the  impression)  and  in  the  dark  lower  mass  of  the  drapery,  as 
to  produce  unpleasant  spots.    An  early  impression  in  Dresden,  on  the  con- 

71 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


trary  shows  only  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work,  and  in  the  proof  in  Ber- 
lin the  tinting  to  be  seen  is  mostly  in  the  lower  part  of  the  drapery  of  the 
angel  who  displays  the  sudarium.  On  the  whole,  judging  also  from  other  im- 
pressions examined,  it  would  seem  that  Diirer  made,  or  had  his  printer  make, 
experiments  with  this  plate,  with  a  view  to  producing  by  the  aid  of  the  ink, 
the  richness  and  variety  which  the  rude  flat  biting  with  which  this  plate  is 
executed,  failed  to  give  him. 

After  all  that  has  been  said  above,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  this 
plate  is  also  an  etching  on  iron.  According  to  Passavant,  there  are  impressions 
on  modern  paper,  which  would  make  it  evident  that  the  plate  is  still  in  exis- 
tence.   (See  No.  8i  and  Introduction,  p.  xxxi.) 


84  THE  RAPE  OF  A  YOUNG  WOMAN.— B  72;  H  813; 

R  224;  M  83. —  Monogram;  dated  15 16. 

Fine  early  impression,  before  the  rust  spots.  Black  ink,  clean  wiped, 
with  only  slight,  evidently  accidental,  tinting  in  upper  part.  On  white 
paper  with  the  curious  watermark  which,  in  its  outline,  resembles  some- 
what Hausmann,  No.  44. 

Contrary  to  the  impressions  from  No.  83,  those  from  this  plate  seem  to  be  as  a 
rule  fairly  clean  wiped.  The  very  fine  one  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  is 
of  the  same  kind. 

An  obscurely  treated  mythological  subject,  called  also,  "  The  Rape  on  the 
Unicom,"  "  Pluto  carrying  off  Proserpine,"  "  Nessus  carrying  off  Dejaneira,"  and 
"  The  Ravishment."  It  ranks,  as  an  enigma,  with  such  early  plates  as  "  The 
Rape  of  Amymone,"  No.  16,  and  "  Hercules,"  No.  17. 

Etching  on  Iron.    (See  No.  81  and  Introduction,  p.  xxxi.) 


85  THE  MAN  IN  DESPAIR.— B  70;  H  882;  R  225;  M  79.— 
Without  monogram  or  date. 

Fairly  good  impression.  Soft  ink,  most  of  the  lights  clean  wiped ; 
heavy  tinting  in  the  close  work;  gray  spots,  wiped  out  {t.  e.,  "creves"), 
below,  in  places  where  the  lines  are  very  close  together. 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


Paris  has  a  fine  impression,  in  warmish  ink,  with  much  tinting,  and  the  one  in 
London  is  of  the  same  kind.  In  the  BerHn  Cabinet,  there  is  an  only  fair  im- 
pression, black  ink,  no  tinting,  wiped  out  here  and  there. 

Of  all  of  Diirer's  compositions,  this  bears  off  the  palm  as  being  the  most 
puzzling.  Heller  calls  it  "  The  Bath,"  on  the  authority  of  some  old  manuscript, 
and  presumes  the  woman  to  have  been  drowned,  the  naked  man  in  despair  to 
be  her  husband,  and  the  satyr,  etc.,  sympathizing  spectators.  Hiisgen,  accord- 
ing to  Heller,  dubbed  it  "  The  Dismayed  Husband."  Thausing  and  others 
maintain  that  it  is  merely  an  aggregation  of  studies  taken  at  random, —  hence 
the  title  "Study  of  Five  Figures,"  —  and  that  it  is,  therefore,  Diirer's  first  essay 
in  etching.  In  the  principal  figure,  the  "  man  in  despair,"  Thausing  detects 
Italian  influences,  and  even  recognizes  in  it  the  position  of  Michelangelo's 
"  Cupid,"  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum.  There  is  a  drawing  by  Diirer 
(see  the  Biographical  Illustrations,  p.  li)  of  a  man,  very  similar  to  the  figure 
seen  in  profile  to  the  left,  which  Thausing  declares  to  be  a  portrait  of  Andrew, 
Albert's  brother,  a  declaration  stoutly  opposed  by  Ephrussi. 

Etched  on  iron.  (See  No.  8i.)  Although  without  monogram  or  date,  this 
plate  is  universally  accepted  as  by  Diirer.  The  opinions  as  to  its  date  differ, 
however.  Heller  places  it  between  1507  and  1514;  Retberg  about  15 16. 
Thausing,  who,  as  above  stated,  sees  in  the  subject  merely  an  aggregation  of 
studies  thrown  together  at  random,  argues  that  it  is  a  mere  trial  plate,  and 
consequently  Diirer's  first  essay  in  etching.  It  is,  however,  altogether  too 
elaborate  for  a  mere  trial  plate,  and,  moreover,  technically  the  most  perfect, 
because  the  most  delicate,  of  the  artist's  etchings.  Retberg's  suggestion  is, 
therefore,  the  most  probable. 

86  THE  VIRGIN  ON  THE  CRESCENT,  WITH  CROWN 
OF  STARS  AND  SCEPTER.— B  32;  H  526;  R  221  ; 
M  84. — Monogram;  dated  1516. 

Very  fine  impression.  Soft,  somewhat  warmish  black  ink,  with  very- 
perceptible  tinting  throughout  the  close  work.  From  the  Fisher  Col- 
lection. 

The  impressions  from  this  plate  also  vary  considerably.  In  London  there  is  a 
beautiful  delicate  one,  warmish  ink,  clean  wiped.  Dresden  has  a  fair  impres- 
sion, black  ink,  clean  wiped,  producing  a  grayish  effect.  The  Berlin  impression 
is  also  fine  and  delicate,  warmish  ink,  clean  wiped,  with  only  slight  tinting, 
nevertheless  rather  dull  in  general  effect,  owing  to  the  color  of  the  paper.  The 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


Gray  Collection  in  Boston,  finally,  has  an  impression  in  strong  black  ink,  clean 
wiped. 

Concerning  the  opinions  of  Thausing  and  Middleton,  as  to  the  technic  of 
this  plate,  see  the  Introduction,  p.  xxxiii  and  Middleton's  list,  No.  84. 

Again,  the  "man  in  the  moon"  is  left  out  in  the  crescent.  (Compare  Nos. 
8,  44,  and  74.) 

87  THE  VIRGIN  CROWNED  BY  TWO  ANGELS.— B  39; 

H  547;  R  226;  M  87. —  Monogram  and  date,  15 18,  on  a 

SQUARE  STONE. 

a.  Very  fine  impression.  Printed  in  pure  black  ink,  practically  clean 
wiped,  with  slight  tinting  in  the  closest  work.  From  the  Mariette  and 
Ruhl  Collections. 

b.  Also  a  very  fine,  but  more  delicate  impression.  Soft  warmish  black 
ink,  with  very  delicate  tinting  in  the  close  work.  From  the  Koller  Col- 
lection. 

In  Paris  there  is  a  brilliant  dark  impression.  That  in  London  is  a  very  fine  sil- 
very one,  in  black  ink,  absolutely  clean  wiped.  Dresden  has  a  delicate  impres- 
sion, but  not  "  silvery,"  as  the  ink  is  rather  warmish,  and  there  is  very  slight 
tinting  in  the  close  work.  The  impression  in  Berlin  is  a  very  beautiful  one,  on 
the  whole  similar  to  the  one  in  Dresden. 

Speaking  in  general  of  Diirer's  works  done  between  the  years  1513  and  1520, 
Thausing  says  (II,  p.  134) :  "  The  engravings  of  the  Virgin  belonging  to  this 
period  are  as  unattractive  as  the  paintings.  The  most  agreeable  among  them, 
the  'Virgin  Crowned  by  two  Angels,'  of  15 18,  is  taken  from  older  studies, —  at 
least  the  beautiful  drawing  for  the  drapery  on  her  knees,  in  the  Albertina,  be- 
longs to  the  year  1508."  Two  composition  sketches  for  this  plate  are  published  by 
Ephrussi  (pp.  194,  195)  and  by  Lippmann  (Nos.  94  and  265).  For  Mr.  Ruskin's 
estimate  of  it,  see  Lecture  IV  and  the  Appendix  to  his  "  Ariadne  Florentina." 
The  period  here  alluded  to  (1513-20)  is  that  in  which  Diirer  was  principally 
occupied  with  the  designs  for  the  woodcut  publications  of  the  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian, and  Thausing  makes  these  designs  directly  responsible  for  the  inferior 
quality  of  the  paintings  and  engravings  belonging  to  the  same  period.  Never- 
theless, it  is  impossible  to  deny  that  this  Virgin  is,  in  a  worldly  aspect,  the 
prettiest  and  most  elegant  of  all  her  sisters  in  Diirer's  work,  even  if  it  must  be 
admitted  that  the  pose  seems  to  betray  the  constraint  of  the  model. 


74 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


88  THE  SMALL  CRUCIFIXION.— B  23;   H  435;   R  227; 


M  86. — Without  monogram  or  date. 

a.  Very  beautiful  impression  of  the  original  according  to  Passavant. 
Printed  in  soft  black  ink,  with  very  slight  tinting,  in  the  close  work. 

b.  Fine  impression  in  brownish  black  ink,  of  the  original  according  to 
Bartsch,  but  classed  by  Passavant  as  Copy  A.  From  the  collection  of  the 
Earl  of  Aylesford. 

c.  Fine  impression  in  warmish  black,  classed  by  Passavant  as  Copy  B. 

However  unreliable  Passavant  may  often  be,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  is 
correct  in  his  judgment  as  to  the  various  renderings  of  this  celebrated  engraving. 
The  comparison  of  the  three  versions  here  shown  makes  it  evident  that  only  the 
version  represented  by  a  (see  Fig.  i  of  the  enlargements  on  the  accompany- 
ing plate)  has  Diirer's  vigor.  The  two  others,  fine  and  wonderfully  skilful  as 
they  are,  are  less  virile.  Copy  A  (Fig.  2  of  the  enlargements)  is  certainly  very 
close  and  misleading,  but  in  the  presence  of  the  original  even  it  loses  somewhat, 
while  Copy  B  (Fig.  3),  beautiful  as  it  is  in  itself,  is  altogether  too  soft  and  pretty 
as  compared  with  the  original. 

As  the  signs  of  distinction  given  by  Passavant  and  Bartsch  are  difficult  of 
identification,  especially  in  impressions  that  are  not  quite  fresh,  others,  much 
more  easily  recognizable,  are  here  pointed  out  for  the  three  versions  shown. 
They  can  be  readily  found  on  the  enlargements  on  the  accompanying  plate,  but 
for  still  further  convenience  of  consultation  they  are  repeated  here  in  isolation. 


Two  such  signs  are  given :  —  First,  the  rays,  which,  emanating  from  the  head 
of  Christ,  dart  obliquely  upward  toward  the  left  (of  the  plate),  and  cross  the 
right  arm  (left  of  plate)  of  the  cross,  at  its  junction  with  the  upright  beam;  and 
secondly,  a  fold  in  the  lower  part  of  the  garment  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
three  Holy  Women.  Figs,  i  and  2  are  from  Passavant's  original  (Fig.  i  of  the 
enlargements  on  the  plate),  Figs.  3  and  4  are  from  Copy  A  (Fig.  2  on  the  plate), 


I. 


2. 


3- 


4- 


S- 


6. 


75 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


and  Figs.  5  and  6  from  Copy  B  (Fig.  3  on  the  plate).  Elaborate  descriptions 
are  unnecessary  in  the  presence  of  these  illustrations.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  say 
that  the  number  and  the  direction  of  the  rays,  and  the  figure  formed  by  the 
small  hook-shaped  fold  with  the  long  fold  to  left  of  it,  are  the  characteristics 
more  especially  to  be  noted. 

There  are  still  other  signs  of  recognition,  which  it  is  easier  to  find  than  those 
given  by  either  Bartsch  or  Passavant.  Note,  for  instance,  the  face  of  the  soldier 
who  stands  behind  St.  John.  In  the  original  the  features  are  indicated  by  a  few 
strong  straight  lines,  after  the  manner  of  Rembrandt.  In  Copy  A  there  are 
similar  lines,  but  they  can  be  seen  only  with  difficulty.  In  Copy  B,  finally,  there 
are  two  dots  for  the  eyes,  one  for  the  nose,  to  indicate  the  nostrils,  and  a  very 
slight  indication  of  a  mouth.  The  shoulder  of  the  soldier  also  differs.  In  the 
original,  two  long  rays,  from  the  halo  of  St.  John,  cross  the  entire  shoulder,  and 
of  these  the  upper  one  forms,  with  a  shading  line  near  the  contour  of  the  shoul- 
der, Passavant's  "  crochet,"  i.  <?.,  a  hook,  something  like  a  boat-hook.  In  Copy 
A  no  rays  cross  the  shoulder.  In  Copy  B  there  are  again  two  rays,  but  they  do 
not  quite  cross  the  shoulder,  they  are  rather  close  together,  and  they  run  parallel 
to  each  other,  whereas  in  the  original  the  two  long  rays  are  separated  by  two 
shorter  ones,  and  diverge  a  trifle. 

Passavant  mentions  four  further  copies: — C,  by  Jerome  Wierix,  with  the  INRI 
not  reversed,  therein  following  Bartsch,  while  Alvin,  No.  233,  knows  only  of  a 
copy  by  Ant.  Wierix;  D,  said  to  be  very  bad,  the  INRI  again  not  reversed, 
and  two  by  Carl  Kappes,  of  which  especially  the  first  is  said  to  be  "  excessive- 
ment  trompeuse." 

This  marvelous  little  engraving,  although  without  monogram,  is  undoubtedly 
by  Durer,  who  mentions  it  in  a  letter  to  Spalatin,  dated  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1520 :  "  I  send  also  two  little  printed  crosses  with  this;  they  are  engraved 
on  gold  and  one  is  for  your  honor."  As  it  was  engraved  for  the  Emperor  Max- 
imilian (see  below),  who  died  January  12,  15 19,  it  cannot  have  been  done  later 
than  1 5 18,  which  is  also  Retberg's  conclusion.  The  earlier  dates  named  by 
Heller  and  by  Hausmann  are  out  of  the  question. 

The  "  Little  Round  Crucifixion,"  —  a  niello,  as  the  reversed  position  of  the 
letters  INRI  shows, —  is  the  smallest  and  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  Diirer's 
acknowledged  engravings.  It  was  engraved  on  gold,  and  originally  ornamented 
the  hilt  of  a  sword  belonging  to  the  Emperor  Maximilian  I.  Thausing  in  his 
first  edition  (II,  pp.  70,  71)  describes  a  sword  in  the  Ambras  Collection,  at 
Vienna,  as  the  one  which  originally  held  the  precious  plate,  although  the  place 
it  once  occupied  is  now  filled  by  a  silver  plate  of  later  insertion.  Wendelin 
Boeheim,  on  the  contrary  ("Rep.  fur  Kunstw.,"  Ill,  pp.  276-87),  shows  that  this 
cannot  be  the  sword  in  question,  and  Thausing,  in  his  second  German  edition 
(II,  p.  73),  accepts  his  conclusions.    The  print  enjoys  also  the  distincdon  of 

76 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


being  far  and  away  the  dearest  for  its  size.  As  high  as  $350  has  been  paid 
for  a*  very  fine  impression.  Calculated  at  so  much  a  square  inch,  that  is  con- 
siderably dearer  than  Rembrandt's  "  Hundred  Guilders  Piece,"  at  $10,000. 

89  THE  CANNON.— B  99;  H  1017;  R  228;  M  85.— Mono- 
gram ;  DATED  15 18. 

Late  impression,  from  the  rusted  plate,  very  dull  in  lower  right  corner. 
From  the  Von  Derschau  Collection,  and,  as  a  duplicate,  from  the  Berlin 
Cabinet. 

Of  the  European  cabinets  named,  only  that  in  Berlin  has  an  impression  from 
the  uncorroded  plate,  clean  wiped.  The  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  and 
Dresden,  as  well  as  the  one  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  all  show  more  or 
less  the  effects  of  rusting. 

Really  good  early  impressions,  from  the  plate  before  rusting,  seem  to  be  rare. 
It  was  probably  very  popular  in  its  day,  and  the  early  impressions  were  used  up, 
so  that  those  now  met  with  are  of  later  date. 

"  A  large  field-piece,  with  the  arms  of  Nuremberg  on  it  and  surrounded  by 
footsoldiers,  is  being  looked  at  with  respectful  astonishment  by  five  Turks,  for 
whom  it  is  no  doubt  intended  as  a  warning,  and  in  the  background  are  the 
plains  of  the  native  land  it  is  destined  to  protect"  (Thausing,  II,  p.  66).  This 
plate,  called  also  "  Die  Niirnberger  Feldschlange  "  (The  Nuremberg  Field-Ser- 
pent), is  the  last  of  the  six  etchings  on  iron  (see  No.  8i)  done  by  Diirer.  He 
had  evidently  given  up  the  process  as  unsatisfactory,  but  in  this  case  used 
it  once  more,  as  an  expeditious  method  for  placing  upon  the  market  a  plate 
intended  to  satisfy  a  transient  popular  demand.  The  fear  of  the  Turk  was  then 
strong  in  Germany,  the  first  siege  of  Vienna  occurring  in  1529.  (See  No.  81 
and  Introduction,  p.  xxxi.) 


90  THE  VIRGIN  NURSING  THE  CHILD.— B  36;  H  576; 

R  232;  M  88. —  Monogram  and  date,  15 19,  on  a  square 

STONE. 

a.  Fine  dark  impression.    Rather  vi^armish  black  ink,  practically  clean 
vi^iped,  with  only  very  slight  tinting.    From  the  Artaria  Collection. 

b.  Equally  fine,  but  more  delicate  impression,  in  somewhat  coldish 

77 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 

ink,  practically  clean  wiped.  From  the  Prince  de  Paar  and  the  Ruhl 
Collections. 

The  impressions  in  the  cabinets  at  Paris,  London,  and  Dresden  are  delicately 
grayish,  having  been  printed  in  black  ink,  with  very  slight  tinting.  A  full, 
somewhat  rough-looking  impression,  although  clean  wiped,  but  in  very  black 
ink,  is  in  the  Berlin  Cabinet.  The  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  has  a  fine  impres- 
sion, in  strong  black  ink,  practically  clean  wiped,  on  white  paper. 

Thausing  (II,  p.  134)  says  of  this  plate  and  B  38  (No.  95  of  this  catalogue) 
that  they  "  are  without  any  particular  charm  or  dignity,  being  taken  quite  casu- 
ally from  burgher  life,  and  are  only  remarkable  for  the  soft  gray  tone  of  the 
engraving,"  which  gray  tone,  however,  depends,  as  we  have  seen,  to  some  extent, 
on  the  printing,  although  the  execution  is  in  itself  very  delicate,  and  much 
simpler  than  many  of  the  plates  which  precede  it.  A  slight  composition  sketch 
is  published  by  Ephrussi  (p.  191),  and  another  drawing  which  was  utilized  for 
this  print  is  mentioned  by  him  (p.  188). 

9\  ST.  ANTHONY.— B  58;  H  695;  R  233  ;  M  89.— Monogram 

AND  DATE,  I519,  ON  A  TABLET. 

a.  Fine  delicate  impression,  soft  black  ink,  clean  wiped,  with  almost 
no  tinting  in  the  close  work. 

b.  Late  impression,  from  the  worn  plate,  printed  in  red. 

Paris  has  a  fair  gray  impression,  London  a  fine  one,  in  warmish  ink,  generally 
speaking  also  grayish,  but  with  heavy  tinting  in  the  cloak  of  the  saint,  which 
produces  an  unpleasant  spot.  The  impression  in  Dresden,  in  warmish  ink,  is 
delicate,  but  rather  muddy,  due  to  tinting  and  grayish  paper.  In  the  Berlin 
Cabinet  there  is  a  fine  delicate  impression,  in  warmish  ink,  with  but  slight  tint- 
ing. The  Gray  Collection,  in  Boston,  has  a  very  delicate  impression,  printed 
in  soft  black  ink,  very  closely  wiped. 

St.  Anthony,  an  Egyptian  saint,  not  to  be  confounded  with  St.  Anthony  of 
Padua,  has  inspired  many  artists,  from  Schongauer  down  to  the  disciples  of  the 
modern  French-Italian  school ;  but  the  scenes  generally  chosen  are  those  of  his 
torment  and  temptation  by  demons,  in  which  the  fantastic  or  the  voluptuous 
forms  assumed  by  the  latter  are  the  main  point.  Durer  represents  another 
phase  in  the  life  of  the  saint, —  his  flight  from  the  world  and  application  to  study 
and  prayer.  The  pig  which  often  accompanies  St.  Anthony,  as  the  symbol  of 
the  lusts  which  he  conquered,  Diirer  has  omitted ;  the  bell  attached  to  his  staff, 

78 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 

signifying  his  power  to  drive  away  evil  spirits,  is  here.  The  city  in  the  distance 
is  generally  supposed  to  be  Nuremberg,  but  Hausmann  says  that  it  is  strikingly 
like  Marburg.  Thausing  rates  the  plate  very  highly.  "  For  depth  of  concep- 
tion," he  says  (II,  pp.  134,  135),  "and  tenderness  of  execution  and  feeling,  this 
small  plate  is  equal  to  the  best  engravings  of  former  years.  Diirer  never  did 
anything  again  equal  to  it."  Heller  states  that  of  the  copy  described  by  him 
under  No.  699  there  are  impressions  in  red,  but  the  impression  in  that  color 
here  shown  is  evidently  from  the  original  plate,  badly  worn.  In  his  Diary, 
Diirer  classes  this  print  among  tlie  "  half  sheets,"  of  which  he  sold  twenty  for  one 
florin. 

92  PEASANT  AT  MARKET.— B  89;  H  931 ;  R  235 ;  M  90. 

— Monogram  on  a  stone;  dated  15 19. 

Very  good,  clear  impression.    Black  ink,  clean  wiped,  on  white  paper. 

The  impressions  in  Paris  and  London,  and  the  two  in  Berlin,  as  well  as  the 
better  of  the  two  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  all  very  fine,  are  similar  in 
printing  to  the  one  here  shown.  In  Dresden  this  print  is  wanting.  The 
curious  spots  on  the  eggs  and  the  little  spot  on  the  peasant's  coat,  immediately 
above  his  right  knee,  seem  to  be  on  all  impressions. 

The  simplicity  of  treatment  in  this  plate  carries  us  back  even  beyond  the 
peasant  subjects  of  1514,  No.  72,  "  The  Bagpiper,"  and  No.  73,  "  The  Dancing 
Peasants,"  to  such  early  work  as  No.  23,  "  The  Peasant  and  his  Wife." 

Allihn,  p.  90,  mentions  this  engraving  in  connection  with  the  other  represen- 
tations of  peasants  of  supposed  satirical  tendency.  In  the  faces  of  the  couple 
he  detects  "  exemplary  stupidity."  All  the  prints  of  this  size,  including  the 
small  Madonnas,  Diirer  classes  as  "  quarter  sheets,"  of  which  he  gave  forty-five 
for  one  florin. 

93  ALBERT  OF  BRANDENBURG  (THE  SMALLER).—  B 

102;  H  1024;  R  234;  M  91. —  Monogram;  dated 
MDXIX. 

Very  beautiful,  delicate  impression,  printed  in  soft,  warmish  black  ink, 
with  very  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work.    Without  text  on  the  back. 

The  impressions  in  all  the  cabinets  examined  are  of  the  same  character,  as  re- 
gards printing, —  rather  warmish  ink,  very  slight  tinting  in  tlie  close  work,  the 


79 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


finest  being  that  in  the  cabinet  at  Berlin.  An  impression  equally  fine  is  in  the 
Gray  Collection,  Boston. 

Called  also  "The  Little  Cardinal,"  to  distinguish  it  from  B  103  (No.  98  of 
this  catalogue),  known  as  "  The  Great  Cardinal."  Albert,  or  Albrecht,  Mar- 
grave of  Brandenburg,  born  1489  or  1490,  died  1545,  was  the  man  who,  after 
he  had  received  the  pope's  authority  to  sell  indulgences  within  his  diocese,  on 
condition  of  making  over  to  the  papal  treasury  one-half  of  the  profits,  appointed 
the  Dominican  Tezel,  and  thus  indirectly  caused  Luther  to  post  his  ninety-five 
theses.  His  titles  are  given  in  the  inscription  on  the  upper  part  of  the  plate : 
"  Albert,  by  divine  mercy  the  most  holy  Roman  church's  titular  presbyter  cardi- 
nal of  St.  Chrysogonus,  archbishop  of  Mayence  and  Magdeburg,  primate  elec- 
tor of  the  empire,  administrator  of  Halberstadt,  margrave  of  Brandenburg." 
The  lower  inscription  reads :  "  Thus  were  his  eyes,  his  cheeks,  his  features. 
Aged  29,  1519."  The  plate  was  engraved  for  a  book  of  relics,  etc.,  belonging 
to  the  church  of  Sts.  Maurice  and  Mary  Magdalen  at  Halle,  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1520.  In  a  letter  written  by  Diirer  to  George  Spalatin,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1520,  this  plate  is  mentioned  as  follows  :  "  At  the  same  time  I 
send  herewith  to  my  most  gracious  lord  three  impressions  of  an  engraving  on 
copper,  which  I  engraved  after  my  most  gracious  lord  of  Mayence  and  at  his 
request.  I  sent  and  presented  the  plate  to  His  Electoral  Grace  with  200  im- 
pressions; in  return  His  Electoral  Grace  has  shown  himself  gracious  to  me,  for 
His  Electoral  Grace  has  made  me  a  present  of  200  florins  in  gold  and  20  ells 
of  damask  for  a  coat."  Mr.  Ruskin  justly  objects  to  the  reflections  of  windows 
in  the  eyes  of  most  of  Diirer's  portraits,  as  in  this  one.  They  are  due  to  an 
afifectation  of  knowledge,  displayed  with  a  childish  pride  in  lately  acquired 
powers  of  observation,  which  was  quite  characteristic  of  the  time.  Neverthe- 
less, this  portrait  not  only  stands  preeminent  for  delicacy  and  noble  simplicity 
among  those  engraved  by  Diirer,  but  it  will  always  be  ranked  among  the  best 
portraits  engraved  anywhere,  and  at  any  time.  The  later  impressions  are  those 
from  the  book  above  mentioned,  with  type  printing  on  the  back,  or  rather,  the 
engraving  is  printed  on  the  back  of  the  title  of  the  book  above  alluded  to. 
For  further  details,  see  Heller,  according  to  whom  these  impressions  with  type 
are  the  best, —  which  would  seem  to  be  doubtful,  unless  there  should  also  be 
later  impressions  without  type,  printed  from  the  plate  after  it  had  been  used  in 
the  book.  From  Diirer's  letter,  as  here  quoted,  it  is  evident  that  at  least  200 
proofs  were  printed  before  it  was  used  in  the  book. 

Ephrussi  (p.  260)  mentions  two  studies,  one  in  the  Kunsthalle,  Bremen, 
evidently  rejected  by  Lippmann,  as  he  does  not  reproduce  it,  the  other  in  the 
Albertina,  at  Vienna. 


80 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


94  THE  VIRGIN  CROWNED  BY  ONE  ANGEL.— B  37; 

H  537;  R  236;  M  92. — Monogram  and  date,  1520,  on  a 

TABLET. 

a.  Very  fine  impression.  Printed  in  soft,  warmish  ink,  the  tinting 
quite  pronounced,  the  broad  lights  wiped  clean.  From  the  Mariette 
and  Von  Liphart  Collections. 

b.  Also  a  fine  impression,  with  still  heavier  tinting,  and  printed  on 
paper  of  a  warmer  tone  than  a.    Broad  margin.    Watermark,  a  jug. 

These  impressions  are  remarkable  for  their  tinting,  more  especially  b,  in  which 
it  is  rather  too  heavy.  (Compare  with  No.  95.)  The  impressions  examined  in 
Europe  vary  considerably.  In  Paris  there  is  a  grayisli  impression,  lacking 
brilliancy.  The  impression  in  London,  very  fine  and  delicate,  is  printed  in 
warmish  ink,  with  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work.  That  in  Dresden  is  fair, 
very  delicate,  rather  warmish  ink,  slight  tinting, —  on  the  whole,  a  trifle  dingy. 
The  one  in  Berlin  is  quite  artificially  printed, —  in  general  rather  delicate, 
warmish  ink,  clean  wiped  in  the  lights,  but  with  very  heavy  tinting  in  the 
close  work  on  the  right,  the  distance  on  the  left  kept  much  lighter. 

"Stiff  and  spiritless,"  says  Thausing  (II,  p.  134),  and  this  severe  criticism 
must  be  admitted,  however  unwillingly.  Most  of  these  Madonnas  have  the 
flavor  of  market  ware,  but  even  in  them  the  conscientiousness  of  the  artist 
did  not  permit  him  to  slight  his  work,  and  they  are,  therefore,  technically 
quite  perfect.  It  may  not  be  amiss  to  note  here  that  in  Heller's  description 
of  the  copy.  No.  538  of  his  list,  the  first  two  of  the  explanatory  figures  have 
been  accidentally  reversed,  so  that,  according  to  their  evidence,  the  original 
would  be  taken  for  the  copy. 

There  was  a  study  for  this  print  in  the  Klinkosch  Collection.  A  reproduc- 
tion is  given  in  the  auction  catalogue  of  this  collection  (Vienna  :  C.  J.  Wawra, 
1889). 

95  THE  VIRGIN  WITH  THE  CHILD  SWADDLED.— B  38; 

H  585;  R  237;  M  93. —  Monogram  and  date,  1520,  on  a 

TABLET. 

a.  Very  fine  impression,  in  soft  brownish-black  ink.    Concerning  the 
printing,  see  below.    From  the  Kalle  Collection. 
19  81 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


b.  Also  a  very  fine  impression,  but  differently  treated  in  the  printing. 
See  below.    From  the  Artaria  Collection. 

These  two  impressions  are  even  more  interesting  than  those  described  under 
No.  94,  as  specimens  of  sixteenth  century  "  artificial  printing,"  employed  for  the 
purpose  of  reaching  effects,  which  the  engraved  lines,  unaided,  would  not  pro- 
duce. Indeed,  they  take  the  lead,  in  this  respect,  among  all  the  specimens  in  the 
collection  here  shown.  In  a  a  very  heavy  tint  has  been  left  on  the  plate 
where  the  shadows  are  deepest,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  lower  half  of  the  right  side ; 
the  broad  lights  on  the  figure,  etc.,  are  carefully  wiped ;  the  distance  on  the  left 
is  also  pretty  closely  wiped,  with  only  very  slight  tinting,  while  a  medium  tint 
has  been  left  in  the  sky  on  the  right  side.  The  result  is  airiness,  marred  some- 
what, however,  by  the  too  heavy  tint  in  the  darkest  parts.  In  impression  b,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  rather  heavy  tinting  extends  all  over  the  plate,  the  lights 
only  excepted.  The  result  is  more  harmony  and  greater  richness,  with  a  loss  of 
airiness  or  spaciousness.  In  other  words,  the  distance  comes  forward  too  much. 
The  impressions  seen  in  the  European  cabinets  vary  in  printing.  In  Paris 
there  is  a  dark  impression,  with  much  tinting ;  in  London  a  clear  one,  warmish 
ink,  with  only  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work.  The  impressions  in  Dresden 
and  in  Berlin  are  quite  similar  to  each  other, —  warm  ink,  clean  wiped  in  the 
lights,  with  very  heavy  tinting  in  the  close  work.  In  spite  of  the  differences 
described,  all  these  impressions  are  fine. 

This  is  another  of  the  Virgins  of  the  period  from  15 13  to  1520,  so  severely 
criticized, —  not  unjustly, —  by  Thausing.  What  was  said  about  "  market  ware  " 
and  the  "  conscientiousness  "  of  the  artist  under  No.  94  appHes  here  also. 

96  ST.  CHRISTOPHER  WITH  THE  HEAD  TURNED  TO 
THE  LEFT  — B  51;  H  708;  R  245 ;  M  94.— Mono- 
gram AND  DATE,  I  52  I,  ON  A  SQUARE  STONE. 

Fine  impression.  Printed  in  a  soft  warmish  ink,  rather  heavy  tinting 
in  the  close  work,  only  the  broad  lights  wiped  clean.  From  the  Mar- 
iette  and  Von  Liphart  Collections. 

From  the  first  impression  produced  by  this  print  and  its  mate.  No.  97,  in  im- 
pressions like  the  one  here  shown,  one  is  inclined  to  class  them  with  the  later 
plates  of  "  The  Little  Passion,"  with  which  they  share,  indeed,  the  desire  to 
produce  a  completely  finished  picture.  They  are,  however,  somewhat  more 
open  in  the  lining,  and  the  printing  is  much  more  "  artificial "  in  most  of  the 

82 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


proofs  examined.  Impressions  in  black  ink,  with  very  little  tinting,  are,  indeed, 
met  with,  but  those  of  the  kind  here  shown, —  that  is  to  say,  printed  in  a  warm 
ink,  with  much  tinting,  only  the  broad  lights  wiped  clean  (note,  for  instance, 
that  even  the  torch  held  by  the  hermit  in  the  distance  is  very  perceptibly  tinted), 
—  seem  to  be  decidedly  in  the  majority.  This  applies  more  especially  to  No.  96. 
In  London,  for  instance,  there  is  an  impression  from  the  plate  in  its  best  condi- 
tion in  ink  of  a  disagreeably  cold  reddish  black,  with  altogether  too  much  tint- 
ing, only  the  broad  lights  having  been  wiped  clean.  In  the  very  fine  impres- 
sion in  Berlin  there  is  also  a  heavy  tint  throughout,  with  only  the  broad  lights 
wiped  quite  clean.  Dresden,  on  the  other  hand,  has  an  impression  in  pure 
black  ink,  with  only  slight  tinting  in  the  close  work,  and  therefore  "  silvery," 
but  rather  flat  looking,  while  the  one  in  Paris  is  described  as  "  dry  "  in  the 
notes  used  in  compiling  this  catalogue.  The  impression  in  the  Gray  Collection, 
Boston,  is  again  quite  artificial  in  the  printing.  The  ink  is  of  a  warmish  black, 
and  there  is  very  heavy  tinting  in  the  cloak  of  the  saint,  on  his  staff,  on  his  legs, 
and  in  the  water.  The  broad  lights  on  the  figures,  the  halo  of  the  Christ  child,  and 
the  stone  bearing  the  monogram,  are  quite  clean  wiped.  A  slight  tint  has  been 
left  on  the  distance,  but  the  hermit  and  the  lower  part  of  the  flame  of  his  torch 
have  been  wiped  clean.  That  the  absolutely  clean  wiping  of  these  lights  was 
done  consciously  is  shown  in  the  distance  on  the  left,  where  it  extends  into  the 
tree  seen  at  the  back  of  the  saint,  so  that  part  of  it  is  clean  and  the  other  part 
tinted.    (See  No.  97.) 

97  ST.  CHRISTOPHER  WITH  THE  HEAD  TURNED  TO 
THE  RIGHT.— B  52  ;  H  715  ;  R  246 ;  M  94.— Mono- 
gram AND  DATE,    1 52 1,  ON  A  SQUARE  BLOCK  OF  STONE. 

a.  Fine  impression.    Printed  in  black  ink,  practically  clean  vi^iped,  with 
only  very  slight  tinting.    From  the  Balmanno  Collection. 

b.  Also  a  fine  impression,  practically  clean  w^iped,  with  only  very  slight 
tinting,  but  printed  with  a  warmer  ink,  and  therefore  softer  in  effect. 

The  tinting  in  both  the  impressions  above  described  is  not  nearly  as  heavy  as  in 
No.  96,  and  the  lights  in  the  distance  are  clean  wiped.  The  impressions  in  the 
cabinets  at  Paris,  London,  and  Berhn  are  in  general  like  those  here  shown,  the 
one  in  Berhn,  in  black  ink,  being  wiped  especially  clean.  Dresden  has  a  fine 
warmish  impression,  with  much  tinting,  more  particularly  in  the  drapery  of  the 
saint.  The  impression  in  the  Gray  Collection  shows  a  perceptible  tint,  only  the 
broad  lights  on  the  figures  having  been  wiped  clean. 

83 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


In  his  Netherlands  Diary  Diirer  records,  in  the  month  of  May,  1521,  that  he 
drew  four  small  St.  Christophers  on  gray  paper,  heightened  with  white,  for  his 
friend  Joachim  Patenier,  "the  good  landscape-painter,"  and  it  has  been  sug- 
gested that  we  may  have  two  of  these  designs  in  Nos.  96  and  97,  both  of  which 
are  dated  1521.  Compare,  however,  Ephrussi,  pp.  338-40,  who  reproduces  a 
composition  sketch  for  No.  96,  dated  1517.  Vasari  mentions  both  of  these 
plates,  Nos.  96  and  97,  with  commendation,  but  in  his  usual  careless  manner: 
"  He  also  twice  designed  St.  Christopher  bearing  the  Infant  Christ,  in  two  distinct 
manners,  both  exceedingly  beautiful,  and  finished  with  great  care,  the  separate 
tresses  of  the  hair  finely  distinguished  and  every  part  very  carefully  made  out." 
(Mrs.  Foster's  translation,  III,  p.  489.) 

Of  plates  dealing  with  religious  subjects  there  are  only  three  which  bear  a 
later  date  than  1521,  and  these  belong  to  the  series  of  Apostles,  begun  much 
earlier,  in  1514.  They  are  "  St.  Simon  "  and  "  St.  Bartholomew,"  dated  1523, 
and  "St.  Philip,"  dated  1526.  (See  Nos.  78,  79,  and  80.)  For  the  rest,  Diirer 
henceforth  confined  himself  to  portraits  in  his  engraving. 

98  ALBERT  OF  BRANDENBURG  (THE  LARGER).— B  103; 
H  1035;  R  254;  M  98. — Monogram  on  a  tag;  dated 
MDXXIII. 

Very  fine,  delicate  impression,  in  soft  black  ink,  clean  wiped.  Water- 
mark, a  dog,  Hausmann,  No.  13.    From  the  Artaria  Collection. 

Paris :  Delicate  gray  impression,  tinting  in  the  close  work,  unfortunately  smudged 
in  the  printing  about  the  tip  of  the  nose.  London  :  Pure  black  ink,  hnes  clear, 
but  the  plate  tinted  all  over,  and  therefore  not  attractive.  Dresden :  Delicate, 
ink  rather  warmish,  generally  speaking  clean  wiped.  Berlin :  Fine  impression, 
warmish  black  ink,  tinting  in  the  close  work. 

Passavant  says  that  there  are  impressions  from  the  retouched  plate,  and  then 
adds:  "The  subsequent  impressions  have  the  No.  27  on  the  tablet  below  to 
right."  If  all  of  this  is  to  be  taken  literally, —  which  is  not  always  safe  with 
Passavant, —  there  would  appear  to  be  three  states  of  this  plate.  Really  fine 
impressions  seem  to  be  quite  scarce. 

Called  also  "  The  Great  Cardinal,"  to  distinguish  it  from  "  The  Little  Cardi- 
nal," B  102  (No.  93  of  this  catalogue).  The  inscriptions  are  identical  with  those 
on  No.  93,  except  that  the  age  has  been  changed  to  33,  and  the  date  to  1523. 
In  a  letter  to  Albert,  dated  September  4,  1523,  Diirer  complains  that,  although 
he  had  forwarded  the  plate,  with  500  impressions,  some  time  ago,  its  receipt  had 

84 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


not  yet  been  acknowledged.    There  are  two  other  engravings  by  Diirer  dated 
1523,  the  Apostles  "  St.  Simon"  and  "  St.  Bartholomew"  (Nos.  78  and  79). 
A  drawing,  facing  towards  the  left,  is  published  by  Lippmann  No.  329. 

99  FREDERIC  THE  WISE,   ELECTOR  OF  SAXONY.— 

B  104;  H  1039;  R  255;  M  99. — Monogram  (the  D  re- 
versed AND  THEN  CORRECTED)  ;    DATED  MDXXIIII. 

a.  Fine  impression.  Printed  in  soft  black  ink,  with  very  trifling  tinting 
in  the  most  closely  worked  parts  only.  The  paper  is  somewhat  damaged, 
but  not  enough  to  interfere  with  the  beauty  of  the  impression. 

b.  Equally  fine  impression,  in  somewhat  warmer  ink.  Slightly  cut 
above  and  on  left  and  right  sides,  somewhat  more  below.  False  margin, 
very  skilfully  supplied,  the  lower  part  of  the  frame  around  the  inscription 
and  the  line  surrounding  the  portrait  drawn  with  the  pen.  Watermark, 
a  jug.    (See  below.) 

Paris :  Delicate  gray  impression,  much  tinting  in  the  close  work  on  the  right, 
not  quite  sound  in  some  parts.  London :  Two  impressions,  one  of  them  on 
satin,  this  latter  very  weak.  The  impression  on  paper  is  a  good  one,  ink  slightly 
warmish  black,  a  trifle  muddy  in  the  dark  part  of  the  fur  on  the  left  shoulder 
(right  side  of  the  print).  Berlin :  Two  impressions,  one  on  satin,  this  latter 
again  rather  weak.  The  other,  on  paper,  is  wonderfully  fine,  pure  black  ink, 
with  slight  tinting.  Bremen,  Kunsthalle :  Like  the  Berhn  impression  on  paper, 
but  not  as  good.    Watermark,  a  jug. 

Impression  b  is  exhibited  here  for  the  purpose  of  permitting  a  correction  to 
be  made.  In  the  catalogue  of  the  Diirer  Exhibition  held  at  the  Museum  of 
Fine  Arts,  in  Boston,  1888-89,  this  same  impression  was  shown,  and  the 
differences  in  the  margin  between  it  and  another  like  a  were  pointed  out  as 
"unaccountable."  The  false  margin  and  the  restorations,  most  skilfully  done, 
had  escaped  the  writer  at  the  time.  The  sharp  and  experienced  eye  of  Mr.  E. 
G.  Kennedy,  of  Messrs.  H.  Wunderlich  &  Co.,  has  since  detected  them.  The 
"  unaccountable  differences  "  are,  therefore,  explained. 

It  is  stated  that  there  are  later  impressions  from  the  retouched  plate. 

Frederic  III,  called  the  Wise,  born  January  17,  1463,  died  May  5,  1525,  elector 
and  duke  of  Saxony,  was  a  patron  of  science,  the  founder  of  the  university  of 
Wittenberg,  and  a  supporter  of  the  Reformation,  although  he  never  openly 
espoused  the  doctrines  of  Luther.    He  was  one  of  the  earliest  patrons  of  Diirer, 

85 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


who  painted  for  him,  probably,  the  Dresden  altar-piece  (Thausing,  I,  pp.  i68- 
170),  one  of  the  first  of  his  more  important  works,  as  well  as  other  later  pic- 
tures. The  inscription  under  the  portrait  reads  as  follows :  "  Sacred  to  Christ. 
He  favored  the  word  of  God  with  great  piety,  worthy  to  be  reverenced  forever 
by  posterity.  For  the  Lord  Frederic,  duke  of  Saxony,  arch-marshal,  elector  of 
the  holy  Roman  empire,  Albert  Diirer  of  Nuremberg  made  this.  B.  M.  F.  V. 
V."  Again  Durer  has  thought  it  necessary  to  indicate  the  reflections  of  the 
windows  in  the  eyes. 

A  silver-point  drawing  in  the  collection  of  M.  A.  Armand,  of  Paris,  is  men- 
tioned by  Ephrussi  (p.  332). 

JOO  WILIBALD  PIRKHEIMER.— B  io6;  H  1076;  R  256;  M  100. 
—  Monogram;  dated  MDXXIV. 

a.  Good  impression.    Soft  black  ink,  clean  wiped. 

b.  Impression  in  a  soft  warmish  ink,  with  considerable  tinting  in  the 
close  work,  very  perceptible  in  the  jerkin  which  is  seen  in  the  opening  of 
the  fur  collar,  where  it  produces  the  effect  of  a  wash  of  India  ink. 

c.  Copy.    Heller,  No.  1079. 

d.  Copy.  Heller,  No.  1080,  the  date,  which  is  wanting  in  this  copy, 
added  in  ink. 

The  two  proofs  exhibited  show  that  there  are  clean  wiped  and  tinted  impressions. 
Those  in  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin  are  clean  wiped,  varying,  however, 
in  the  color  of  the  ink  used,  from  pure  black  (BerHn)  to  rather  warmish 
(Dresden).  The  impression  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  is  also  absolutely 
clean  wiped,  black  ink. 

According  to  Heller  and  to  Passavant,  there  are  impressions  from  the  re- 
touched plate. 

Wilibald  Pirkheimer,  the  celebrated  patrician,  humanist,  and  councilor  of 
Nuremberg,  Diirer's  life-long  and  most  intimate  friend,  to  whom  the  letters  from 
Venice  were  addressed,  was  bom  December  5,  1470,  and  died  December  22,  1530. 
The  inscription  under  his  portrait,  which,  according  to  Thausing  (II,  p.  244), 
Pirkheimer  himself  dictated  to  Diirer,  may  be  rendered  as  follows :  "  The  mind 
endures;  the  rest  is  Death's."  As  usual,  the  artist  could  not  withstand  the 
temptation  to  show  the  reflections  of  the  windows  in  the  eyes. 

Lippmann  (No.  142)  reproduces  a  drawing  in  the  Blasius  Collection,  at 
Breslau,  and  Ephrussi  mentions  another,  dated,  however,  1503,  in  the  Du- 
mesnil  Collection,  both  in  profile  to  left. 

86 


DRY-POINTS,  AND  ETCHINGS. 


JOJ  PHILIP  MELANCHTHON.—  B  105;  H  1056;  R  265 ;  M  102. 
—  Monogram;  dated  1526. 

Fine  clear  impression.    Printed  in  pure  black  ink,  tinting  in  the  close 
work,  especially  the  coat  on  the  shoulder.    Watermark,  a  jug. 

Of  the  impressions  in  Paris,  London,  Dresden,  and  Berlin,  those  in  the  two 
cities  first  named  are  wiped  cleaner  than  those  in  Dresden  and  Berlin,  which 
show  the  tinting  of  the  coat  on  the  shoulder  quite  perceptibly.  In  Berlin  there 
is  also  a  counterproof.  The  impression  in  the  Gray  Collection,  Boston,  in 
black  ink,  shows  but  very  little  tinting  on  the  coat. 

Melanchthon,  the  colleague  of  Luther  in  the  work  of  the  Reformation,  celebrated 
for  his  learning  as  "  Prseceptor  Germanise,"  was  bom  February  i6,  1497,  and 
died  April  19,  1560.  The  inscription  under  the  portrait  says  that"  Diirer  could 
depict  the  features  of  the  living  Philip,  but  the  skilled  hand  could  not  depict  his 
mind."  The  trick  of  the  window  reflections  in  the  eyes  verges  upon  the  ridicu- 
lous in  this  case,  as  the  indication  of  clouds  in  the  background  shows  that 
Melanchthon  is  supposed  to  be  standing  in  the  open  air.  Nevertheless  the  por- 
trait hardly  deserves  the  unmeasured  condemnation  of  Mr.  Ruskin,  who  in  his 
"Ariadne  Florentina"  (Lecture  V)  says  that  it  is  not  like  Melanchthon,  "nor 
like  any  other  person  in  his  senses,  but  like  a  madman  looking  at  somebody 
who  disputes  his  hobby."  According  to  Kaufmann  ("Diirer,"  p.  124),  "it  is 
incontestably  the  best  portrait  of  Melanchthon." 

102  ERASMUS  OF  ROTTERDAM.— B  107;  H  1047;  R266; 
M  103.— Monogram;  dated  MDXXVI. 

Very  fine  impression.    Slightly  warmish  black,  clean  wiped  in  the 
lights,  delicate  tinting  in  the  close  work. 

Paris  :  Weak  gray  impression,  showing  many  scratches  in  the  plate.  London  : 
About  as  fine  an  impression  as  one  may  wish  to  see, —  ink  a  rich  warm  black, 
tinting  in  close  work,  even  the  broad  lights  not  wiped  absolutely  clean.  Dres- 
den: Wanting.  Berhn :  Impression  on  satin.  The  plate  was  evidently  in  good 
condition  when  this  impression  was  taken,  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  gray  and  in- 
effective. Boston,  Print  Collection  of  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts :  Good  im- 
pression, from  the  bequest  of  Charles  Sumner,  soft  black  ink,  slight  tinting  in 
the  closest  work. 

Desiderius  Erasmus,  the  most  celebrated  of  the  humanists  north  of  the  Alps, 

87 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS, 


and  in  certain  ways  a  pioneer  of  the  Reformation,  was  bom  at  Rotterdam  about 
the  year  1467,  and  died  at  Basel  on  July  12,  1536.  Durer  met  him  and 
drew  his  portrait  several  times  in  the  Netherlands  (1520-21 ;  see  one  of  these 
drawings  in  Ephrussi,  p.  277),  and  it  was  to  him  that  he  addressed  in  his  Diary 
the  fervent  words  of  entreaty  to  take  up  the  work  of  Luther,  upon  the  receipt  of 
the  news  that  the  latter  had  been  kidnapped.  The  inscription  on  the  print  dis- 
tinctly informs  us  that  it  was  "  drawn  from  the  life  by  Albert  Diirer."  Never- 
theless, it  must  have  been  engraved  from  the  drawings  made  in  the  Netherlands 
five  years  before,  a  fact  which  may  in  part  explain  the  small  satisfaction  given  by 
this  portrait  to  Erasmus  himself  as  well  as  to  others.  "  Technically,  as  an  en- 
graving," says  Thausing  (2d  Germ,  ed.,  II,  p.  268),  "  the  portrait  of  Erasmus, 
'which  his  writings  show  better'  [the  words  of  the  Greek  phrase  in  the  inscrip- 
tion], is  as  superior  to  that  of  Melanchthon  as  it  is  inferior  to  it  in  truthfulness, 
fidelity,  and  sentiment.  Erasmus  was  polite  enough,  upon  the  receipt  of  the 
picture,  to  excuse  its  shortcomings  by  remarking  that  he  himself  had  changed  in 
the  intervening  five  years."  Kaufmann  repeats  Thausing's  estimate,  and  adds 
("  Diirer,"  p.  125,  note  i):  "  Luther,  who  did  not  belong  to  the  admirers  of 
Erasmus,  and  did  not  know  him  personally,  curiously  enough  referred  to  this 
engraving,  when  he  expatiated  unfavorably  on  the  character  of  Erasmus  in  his 
after-dinner  speeches."  As  his  authority  for  this  statement  Kaufmann  gives 
"  Deutsche  Rundschau  von  Julius  Rodenberg.  Siebenter  Jahrgang,  9  Heft. 
Berlin,  1881.  P.  467."  Mr.  Ruskin's  opinion  may  be  found  in  the  "Ariadne 
Florentina  "  (Lecture  V).  This  portrait  was  possibly  the  last  of  Diirer's  engrav- 
ings on  copper,  the  only  other  works  of  the  kind,  dated  1526,  being  the 
Melanchthon,  No.  loi,  and  the  Apostle  Philip,  No.  80  of  this  catalogue. 


88 


THE  GREAT  COURIER. 
(No.  103.) 


ENGRAVINGS 


ATTRIBUTED    TO    DURER,    EITHER    DOUBTFUL  OR 

SPURIOUS. 

103  THE  GREAT  COURIER.— B  8i;  H  1098;  R  Appendix  5; 

M,  WHO  ACCEPTS  IT,  2. 

a.  Photogravure  from  the  impression  in  Dresden. 

b.  Modern  copy  by  A.  Petrak. 

There  are  only  three  impressions  known,  one  in  Paris,  among  the  Diirers;  a 
second  in  the  cabinet  at  Dresden,  among  the  anonymous  Germans  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  and  a  third  in  the  Hofbibhothek  (Court  Library)  at  Vienna. 
Generally  supposed,  by  those  who  accept  it,  to  be  one  of  Diirer's  earliest  plates. 
Bartsch  says  of  the  cutting  that  it  is  "  absolument  le  meme  que  celle  du 
violent,"  —  "  absolutely  the  same  as  that  of  the  Ravisher,"  —  and  Harck  follows 
him  in  this.  The  writer  last  named  is,  indeed,  led,  by  this  assumed  identity  of 
workmanship,  to  reject  "  The  Ravisher "  (see  No.  i  of  this  catalogue).  But 
the  photogravure  here  exhibited,  from  the  impression  in  Dresden,  shows  that 
such  identity  does  not  exist,  and  it  shows  also  that  Petrak's  copy  is  far  from 
being  reliable. 

Called  "  The  Great  Courier,"  to  distinguish  it  from  "  The  Little  Courier," 
No.  lo  of  this  catalogue. 

104  THE  VIRGIN  AT  THE  GATE.—  B  45  ;  H  2283  ;  R  Appen- 

dix 2;  M  108. —  Monogram  and  date,  1520,  on  a  tablet. 

Very  good  impression.    From  the  Artaria  Collection. 

The  attempt  to  imitate  in  this  print,  not  only  Diirer's  style,  but  also  his  tech- 
nical methods,  is  evident.  But,  however  "  set  "  Diirer's  handhng  may  be,  it  is 
never  as  cold  and  mechanically  perfect  as  here,  nor  is  the  effect  ever  as  monoto- 
nous, even  in  those  plates  in  which  there  is  a  total  absence  of  striving  for 

20  89 


ENGRAVINGS  ATTRIBUTED  TO  DURER. 


color.  The  impression  in  Paris  shows  on  the  left  and  on  the  right  side  that 
there  was  an  engraved  frame  around  it,  while  other  impressions  show  no  frame. 
In  Berlin,  there  is  also  an  impression  without  lines  in  the  sky. 

"  This  engraving,"  says  Thausing  (II,  p.  78,  note),  "is  a  clumsy  compilation  of 
fragments  taken  from  various  engravings  and  woodcuts  of  Diirer's,  as  has  been 
thoroughly  and  convincingly  proved  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Reid  ('  Fine  Arts  Quarterly,' 
1866,  N.  S.,  I,  401).  The  figure  of  God  the  Father  at  the  top  is  borrowed  from 
the  woodcut,  'The  Repose  in  Egypt,'  B  go;  the  groups  of  angels  and  the  clouds 
from  'The  Assumption,'  B  94;  the  buildings  in  the  background  on  the  right 
and  the  doors  from  '  Christ's  Farewell  to  His  Mother,'  B  92 ;  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  and  the  fence  on  the  left  from  the  same  source ;  and  the  large  plants  in 
the  right  foreground  from  the  engraving  called  ' The  Promenade'  [No.  12  of 
this  catalogue]."  The  figure  of  the  Virgin  herself,  according  to  the  same 
author,  is  taken  from  the  title-page  of  "  The  Apocalypse."  The  forger,  again 
according  to  Thausing,  was  Egidius  Sadeler,  while  Passavant  thinks  it  was 
Marcantonio,  which  latter  is  very  unlikely. 

JOS  THE  TRINITY.— B  27;  H  1651;  R  Appendix  i;  M  104.— 
Monogram  on  a  tablet. 

Impression  from  the  worn  plate. 

Bad,  reduced,  and  reversed  copy,  probably  by  an  Italian,  of  the  woodcut  B  122. 

106  ST.  JEROME  IN  PENANCE.—  B  62  ;  H  782  ;  R  Appendix 

3;  M  105. 
Modern  copy  by  A.  Petrak. 

The  original,  a  niello,  is  rare.  There  are  impressions  in  Paris  and  in  the  Kunst- 
halle,  in  Bremen,  and  a  spoiled  impression,  very  closely  cut,  in  the  Collection 
Frederic  Augustus  II,  in  Dresden.  Altogether,  it  is  stated,  only  five  impres- 
sions are  known.  Bartsch,  Heller,  and  Passavant  accept  it,  Hausmann  doubt? 
it.    Retberg  and  Thausing  think  it  is  from  a  design  by  Diirer. 

107  THE  JUDGMENT  OF  PARIS.— B  65  ;  H  793  ;  R  Appen- 

dix 4 ;  M  106. 

a.  Facsimile  in  heliotype. 

b.  Modern  copy  by  A.  Petrak. 


90 


ENGRAVINGS  ATTRIBUTED  TO  DURER. 


The  original  is  a  niello.  Accepted  by  Bartsch,  Heller,  Passavant,  and  Haus- 
mann.  Rejected  by  Retberg  and  Thausing.  The  subject  is  also  in  doubt. 
See  Passavant,  III,  p.  153,  who  says  that  the  only  impression  known  is  in  the 
Albertina,  at  Vienna.  The  heliotype  here  shown  is,  however,  from  Liibke's 
work  (see  List  of  Books,  etc.,  p.  100),  the  reproductions  in  which,  according  to 
the  statement  on  the  title-page,  were  made  from  the  originals  in  the  Royal 
Print  Cabinet  at  Munich. 

108  JOACHIM  PATENIER.— B  io8;  H  2512;  R  Appendix  6; 
M  no. —  Monogram;  dated  1521. 

Facsimile  in  photogravure. 

There  are  original  impressions  in  Paris  and  in  Berlin,  in  both  places  with  the 
acknowledged  works  of  Diirer,  and  also  in  London,  but  there  marked  "  by  C. 
Cort." 

This  portrait  is  of  especial  interest,  as  it  represents  Joachim  Patenier,  or  de 
Patenier  or  Patinir  (died  1524),  "the  good  landscape-painter,"  as  Durer  calls 
him,  with  whom  he  became  quite  intimate,  and  whose  wedding  he  attended 
during  his  sojourn  in  the  Netherlands.  He  drew  his  likeness  several  times,  and 
although  the  original  from  which  this  engraving  was  done  does  not  now  seem 
to  be  in  existence,  it  is  generally  accepted  as  a  fact  that  it  is  based  upon  a  draw- 
ing by  Durer.  Thausing  attributes  the  plate  to  Egidius  Sadeler,  Passavant  to 
Cornelius  Cort,  on  the  authority  of  Van  Mander.  Patenier  is  called  the  father 
of  landscape  art  in  the  Netherlands,  and  according  to  Thausing  (II,  p.  202), 
the  term  "  landscape-painter,"  as  applied  to  him  by  Diirer,  here  appears  for  the 
first  time  in  literature. 


109  THE  GREAT  CRUCIFIXION  IN  OUTLINE.— P  109;  H 
2250;  R  253;  M  107. —  Monogram  in  the  first  state. 

Impression  without  the  monogram,  i.  e.,  second  state.  Watermark 
different  from  any  of  those  given  by  Hausmann.  From  the  Artaria 
Collection. 

London  has  both  states,  with  and  without  the  monogram.  It  does  seem 
as  if  on  the  impression  of  the  second  state  traces  of  the  monogram  were  still 
visible  below  the  skull.    The  impressions  in  Dresden  and  Berlin  are  without 


ENGRAVINGS  ATTRIBUTED  TO  DURER. 


the  monogram.  No  mention  is  made  of  the  monogram  in  connection  with  the 
impression  in  Paris,  in  the  notes  on  which  these  remarks  are  based. 

Accepted  by  Retberg  and  Passavant;  rejected  by  Heller  and  Thausing  (II, 
p.  266);  unknown  to  Bartsch.  Ephrussi  (p.  318  etc.)  argues  in  favor  of 
the  genuineness  of  the  engraving,  because  there  are  in  existence  quite  a  number 
of  sketches  and  studies  by  Diirer  upon  which  it  is  based.  Jaro  Springer  ("  Jahr- 
buch,"  VIII,  p.  59),  on  the  contrary,  finds  in  this  same  fact  conclusive  evidence 
against  it,  because  Diirer  habitually  made  detail  studies  for  those  of  his  engrav- 
ings only,  the  subjects  of  which  interested  him  theoretically  —  the  horse,  for  in- 
stance, in  "The  Knight,  Death,  and  the  Devil,"  the  human  body  in  "Adam  and 
Eve."  Wessely  ("Repert."  VI,  p.  57)  quotes  an  entry  in  Paul  Behaim's  MS.  cata- 
logue of  1 618,  in  which  the  print  is  already  spoken  of  not  as  by,  but  after  Diirer. 

no  THE  CONVERSION  OF  ST.  PAUL— P  no. 

Not  obtainable. 

Passavant  (III,  p.  157)  attempts  to  prove  that  this  is  one  of  Diirer's  earhest  en- 
gravings, but  it  is  generally  rejected  by  other  writers.  There  is  an  impression  in 
Dresden, — not,  however,  with  the  works  of  Diirer.  A  copy  by  Frenzel  is  declared 
by  Passavant  to  differ  sufficiently  from  the  original  to  be  easily  recognizable. 

HI  DAMIAO  DE  GOES. 

Not  obtainable. 

Joaquim  de  Vasconcellos,  who  was  the  first  to  call  attention  to  this  engraving 
as  probably  by  Diirer,  describes  it  at  length  on  pp.  147-50  of  his  book 
"  Albrecht  Durer  e  a  sua  influencia  na  peninsula,"  Porto,  1877,  and  he  has 
also  published  a  photograph  of  it  in  "  Damiao  de  Goes.  O  retrato  de  Albrecht 
Diirer,  com  duas  photographias,"  Porto,  1879.  Only  a  small  edition  of  the 
book  last  named  was  printed,  and  it  is  already  so  rare  that  even  the  author 
could  not  find  a  copy  of  it.  According  to  Mr.  de  Vasconcellos  the  print  itself 
is  likewise  very  rare.  There  is  an  impression  in  the  National  Library  at 
Lisbon,  but  when  the  writer  of  these  notes  was  there  in  the  year  1895,  and 
looked  at  some  of  the  treasures  of  the  library,  he  did  not  know  of  this  print, 
and  therefore  did  not  ask  to  see  it.  Ephrussi,  however  (pp.  328-31),  un- 
equivocally declares  it  to  be  unworthy  of  Diirer,  and  adds  in  a  foot-note 
(p.  330) :  "  La  gravure  figure  dans  le  recueil  iconographique  de  Philippe  Gall : 
Effigies  CL  virorum  versibus  Aria  Moiitani  ornafce." 


92 


ENGRAVINGS  ATTRIBUTED  TO  DURER. 


n2  STUDIES  FOR  ADAM  AND  EVE. 

Reproduction  in  photogravure. 

This  is  the  latest  candidate  for  the  honor  of  being  admitted  to  a  place  among 
the  engraved  works  of  Durer.  The  facsimile  here  shown,  from  the  only  known 
impression  (in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  at  Paris),  was  published  by  the  Inter- 
national Chalcographical  Society  in  its  series  for  1886,  No.  10.  In  the  accom- 
panying text  it  is  ascribed  to  an  "unknown  German  engraver,  fifteenth  cen- 
tury," the  style  of  whose  work  is  said  to  have  a  certain  affinity  with  that  of  Martin 
Schongauer.  Lehrs  ("  Repertorium,"  X,  p.  102)  ascribes  it  to  an  engraver  known 
only  by  his  initials,  P  M,  who  was  influenced  by  Schongauer,  and  belonged  to  the 
school  of  the  Lower  Rhine.  Anton  Springer  ("  Zeitschrift  fiir  bildende  Kunst," 
October  1889,  pp.  20-22)  advances  the  idea  that  we  have  here  the  earliest 
attempt  at  engraving  by  Durer, —  a  premonition  of  the  "Adam  and  Eve"  of 
1504  (No.  34  of  this  catalogue), — and  he  supports  his  argument  by  pointing 
out  a  resemblance  of  the  Adam  in  these  studies  to  the  early  portraits  of 
Diirer.  Lehrs,  in  his  turn,  controverts  this  opinion  ("  Repertorium,"  XIII,  pp.  40 
and  41),  but  Springer  adheres  to  it  in  his  book  on  Diirer  (p.  14).  There  is  a 
certain  resemblance,  as  the  comparison  of  the  illustrations  given  by  Springei: 
will  show,  but  the  handling  is  altogether  different  from  the  admitted  earliest 
plates  of  Diirer,  and  too  skilful  to  have  preceded  "  The  Ravisher  "  (No.  i  of 
this  catalogue). 


93 


SUPPLEMENTARY  ILLUSTRATIONS^ 


I.  THE  VENUS  DE'  MEDICI.    Photograph.— Referred  to  under 
Nos.  14  and  34.  / 

II.  THE  APOLLO  BELVEDERE.  Photograph.— Referred  to 
under  No.  34. 

III.  THE  CAPITOLINE  VENUS.    Photograph.— Referred  to  under 

No.  14. 

IV.  VICTORY  AND  FAME.    Facsimile  of  an  engraving  by  Jacopo 

de'  Barbari,  B  18,  Kr  26.)  PubHcations  of  the  International 
Chalcographical  Society  for  1896.)  —  Referred  to  under  No.  14. 

V.  THE  DEATH  OF  ORPHEUS.  Facsimile  of  an  engraving  by 
an  unknown  Italian  of  the  fifteenth  century.  (Publications  of 
the  International  Chalcographical  Society,  Series  for  1886, 
No.  5.) — Referred  to  under  No.  17. 

VI.  THE  DEATH  OF  ORPHEUS.  Facsimile  of  a  drawing  by 
Diirer,  dated  1494,  in  the  Kunsthalle  at  Hamburg.  (Lipp- 
mann,  No.  159.) — Referred  to  under  No.  17. 

VII.  THE  CAPTIVES.  Reproduction  of  an  engraving  by  Jacopo  de' 
Barbari,  B  17,  Kr  15.  (From  Ephrussi's  "  Notes  biographiques.") 
—  Referred  to  under  No.  19. 

VIII.  APOLLO  AND  DIANA.  Reproduction  of  an  engraving  by 
Jacopo  de'  Barbari,  B  16,  Kr  14.  (From  Ephrussi's  "Notes 
biographiques.") — Referred  to  under  Nos.  34  and  36. 

94 


SUPPLEMENTARY  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


IX.  APOLLO  AND  DIANA.  Facsimile  of  a  drawing  by  Diirer,  in 
the  British  Museum,  London.  (Lippmann,  No.  233.) — Referred 
to  under  Nos.  34  and  36. 

X.  ORPHEUS  AND  EUUYDICE.  Etching,  by  Le  Rat,  from  a 
bas-relief  attributed  to  Jacopo  de'  Barbari  by  Ephrussi.  (From 
Ephrussi's  "  Notes  biographiques.") — Referred  to  under  No. 
34. 

XI.  ADAM  AND  EVE.  Facsimile  of  a  drawing  by  Durer,  dated 
1504,  in  the  Von  Lanna  Collection,  at  Prague.  (Lippmann,  No. 
173.) — Referred  to  under  No.  34. 

XII.  BATTLE  OF  TRITONS.     Engraving  by  Andrea  Mantegna, 
B  18. — Referred  to  under  No.  41. 

XIII.  LO  STREGOZZO.    Engraving  by  Agostino  Veneziano,  B  426. 

—  Referred  to  under  No.  41. 

XIV.  ANISQUAM.    Original  etching  by  Stephen  Parrish.  . 

1.  Clean  wiped. 

2.  Clean  wiped,  with  retroussage. 

3.  Rag  wiped. 

4.  Rag  wiped,  with  retroussage. 

5.  Rag  wiped,  with  retroussage  and  a  graded  tint. 

6.  Rag  wiped,  with  retroussage  and  a  graded  tint,  and  lights 

wiped  out  in  the  distance. 

7.  Counterproof. 

These  seven  impressions  were  all  printed  from  the  same  plate, 
without  any  change  whatever  in  its  state  or  condition.  The  ink 
and  the  paper  used  are  also  precisely  the  same.  The  differences 
in  Nos.  1-6  are  due  entirely  to  the  treatment  which  the  plate 
received  at  the  hands  of  the  printer,  or,  in  other  words,  to  the 
wiping.     No.  7,  the  counterproof,  was  produced  in  the  usual 

95 


SUPPLEMENTARY  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


manner,  that  is  to  say,  by  laying  down  a  fresh  impression  on  a 
clean  sheet  of  paper,  and  then  pulling  the  two  through  the  press 
together.  These  impressions  were  printed  at  the  establishment 
of  Messrs.  Kimmel  &  Voigt,  of  New  York,  to  illustrate  the  art  of 
the  printer,  and  they  are  here  shown  with  reference  to  the  remarks 
on  printing  made  in  the  Introduction,  p.  xli. 

XV.  PORTRAIT  OF    MURILLO    BY   HIMSELF.      Etched  by 
Rajon. 

1.  Clean  wiped. 

2.  With  retroussage. 

See  the  remarks  under  No.  XIV. 


96 


FINDING  LIST 


FOR  THE  CATALOGUES  OF  BARTSCH  AND  OF  PASSAVANT. 

In  the  first  column  the  numbers  of  Bartsch  and  Passavant  are  given, 
in  the  second  those  of  this  catalogue. 


Bartsch's  Catalogue. 


1  .  .  .  . 

42  ...  . 

2  .  .  .  . 

43  ...  . 

....  66 

3-18 

.    .    .  46-61 

44  ...  . 

19  ...  . 

.    ...  82 

45  ...  . 

20  ...  . 

.    .    .    .  18 

46  ...  . 

....  80 

21  ...  . 

.    ...  64 

47  ...  . 

....  79 

22  ...  . 

.    ...  81 

48  ...  . 

....  76 

23  ...  . 

.  ...  88 

49  ...  . 

....  78 

24  ...  . 

.  ...  45 

50  ...  . 

....  77 

25  ...  . 

.  ...  68 

51  ...  . 

....  96 

26  ...  . 

.  ...  83 

52  ...  . 

....  97 

27  ...  . 

.  ...  105 

53  ...  . 

....  43 

28  ...  . 

.  .  .  .  5 

54  ...  . 

....  42 

29  ...  . 

.  ...  25 

55  ...  . 

....  19 

30  ...  . 

.  .  .  .  8 

56  ...  . 

31  ...  . 

.  ...  44 

57  ...  . 

....  32 

32  ...  . 

.  ...  86 

58  ...  . 

....  91 

33  ...  . 

.  ...  74 

59  ...  . 

....  6s 

34  ...  . 

.  ...  29 

60  ...  . 

....  71 

35  ...  . 

.  ...  67 

61  ...  . 

....  6 

36  ...  . 

.  ...  90 

62  ...  . 

37  ...  . 

.  ...  94 

63  ...  . 

....  7 

38  ...  . 

.  ...  95 

64  ...  . 

....  62 

39  ...  . 

.  ...  87 

65  ...  . 

40  ...  . 

•  •  •  •  75 

66  ...  . 

....  40 

41  ...  . 

•  ...  63 

67  ...  . 

....  41 

21 


97 


FINDING  LIST. 


Q 

.  ...  35 

QO 

.  ...  92 

(iCk 

•   •  •  •  37 

or\ 

•  •  •  •  73 

TCi 

.        ...  85 

0  -1 

.  .  .  .  72 

T  t 

r>  0 

T  O 

.     ...  64. 

n  0 

.  .  .  .  4 

^7  Q 

.     .     .     .  17 

0  /< 

T  A 

.     ...  70 

9o  ... 

T  K 

.     .     .     .  14 

.       ...  38 

7o    .  .  . 

.     .     .     .  15 

97    .  .  . 

.  ...  39 

77    •  •  • 

•  •  •  •  33 

98  ... 

.  ...  69 

7o    .  .  . 

.  .  .  .  9 

.  ...  89 

79    .  •  • 

^  /  \  /  \ 

.  ...  31 

80   .  .  . 

101  ... 

.  ...  30 

81    .  .  . 

.  ... 

102    .  .  . 

.  ...  93 

82    .  .  . 

.        ...  27 

103  ... 

.  ...  98 

.        ...  23 

104  ... 

.  ...  99 

84    .  .  . 

105  ... 

85  ... 

106  ... 

86    .  .  . 

.        ...  24 

107  ... 

87    .  .  . 

.        ...  26 

108  ... 

.  ...  108 

88    .  .  . 

.  .  .  .  3 

Passavant's  Additions. 

109    .  .  . 

110  ... 

98 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  AND  PAPERS  CONSULTED. 


ALLIHN,  MAX.  Diirer  Studien.  Versuch  einer  Erklarung  schwer  zu  deuten- 
der  Kuperstiche  A.  Diirer's  vom  culturhistorischen  Standpunkte.  Leipsic : 
1871. 

ALLIHN,  MAX.  Diirer's  "  Vier  Hexen."  Eine  Entgegnung.  Kunstchronik, 
VII,  p.  185,  etc. 

ALVIN,  L.  Catalogue  raisonne  de  I'oeuvre  des  trois  freres  Jean,  Jerome,  et 
Antoine  Wierix.    Brussels  :  1866. 

BADER,  F.  W.  Trachten-Bilder  von  Albrecht  Diirer  aus  der  Albertina.  Sechs 
Blatter  in  Farben-Holzschnitt  ausgefiihrt  von  F.  W.  Bader.  Vienna: 
1871.    [With  a  sheet  of  text  by  M.  Thausing.] 

BERGAU,  R.    Max  AUihn,  Diirerstudien.    Kunstchronik,  VII,  p.  154,  etc. 

BOEHEIM,  WENDELIN.  Das  Schwert  Kaiser  Maximilians  I.  in  der  K.  K. 
Ambraser-Sammlung  und  der  "  Degenknopf "  Albrecht  Durers.  Repertorium 
fiir  Kunstwissenschaft,  III,  p.  276,  etc. 

COLVIN,  SIDNEY.  Albert  Diirer,  his  teachers,  his  rivals,  and  his  followers. 
Portfolio,  1877  (Vol.  VIII). 

CORNILL,  OTTO.    Jacob  Heller  und  Albrecht  Durer.    Frankfort:  1871. 

CUST,  LIONEL.  The  Engravings  of  Albert  Diirer.  London:  1894.  [Port- 
folio Monographs,  No.  11.] 

DE  VASCONCELLOS,  JOAQUIM.  Albrecht  Durer  e  a  sua  influencia  na 
peninsula.    Porto:  1877. 

DE  VASCONCELLOS,  JOAQUIM.  Damiao  de  Goes.  O  retrato  de 
Albrecht  Diirer,  com  duas  photographias.  Porto:  1879.  [Not  procurable, 
and  therefore  only  referred  to.] 


99 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  AND 

EPHRUSSI,  CHARLES.  Note  sur  la  pretendue  trilogie  d' Albert  Durer :  Le 
Chevalier,  le  Diable,  et  la  Mort ;  la  Melancolie ;  le  Saint  Jdrome  dans  sa 
Cellule.    Gazette  des  Beaux- Arts,  2^  per.,  Vol.  XXIV,  p.  266,  etc. 

EPHRUSSI,  CHARLES.  Notes  biographiques  sur  Jacopo  de'  Barbari,  dit  le 
maitre  au  caduc6e,  peintregraveur  v^nitien  de  la  fin  du  XV«  si^cle.  Paris : 
1876. 

EPHRUSSI,  CHARLES.    Albert  Diirer  et  ses  dessins.    Paris:  1882. 

GRIMM,  HERMANN.  Bemerkungen  iiber  den  Zusammenhang  von  Werken 
A.  Durer's  mit  der  Antike.  Jahrbuch  der  K.  preuss.  Kunstsammlungen, 
II,  p.  186,  etc. 

HARCK,  FRITZ.  Das  Original  von  Diirers  Postreiter.  Ein  Beitrag  zu  der 
Frage  nach  dem  Meister  W.    Innsbruck  :  1880. 

HARZEN,  E.  iiber  die  Erfindung  der  Aetzkunst.  Naumann's  Archiv  fur  die 
zeichnenden  Kiinste,  V,  1859,  pp.  119-36. 

HAUSMANN,  B.  Albrecht  Diirer's  Kupferstiche,  Radirungen,  Holzschnitte 
und  Zeichnungen,  unter  besonderer  Berucksichtigung  der  dazu  verwandten 
Papiere  und  deren  Wasserzeichen.    Hannover:  1861. 

HELLER,  JOSEPH.  Das  Leben  und  die  Werke  Albrecht  Diirer's.  Vol.  II 
(the  only  one  published).    Leipsic:  1831. 

KAUFMANN,  L.  Albrecht  Diirer.  Zweite  verbesserte  Auflage.  Freiburg  im 
Breisgau:  1887. 

KRISTELLER,  PAUL.  Engravings  and  woodcuts  by  Jacopo  de'  Barbari, 
[Berlin,  etc.  Publication  of  the  International  Chalcographical  Society  for 
1896.] 

LANGE  UND  FUHSE.  Durers  Schriftlicher  Nachlass  auf  Grund  der  Original- 
handschriften  und  theilweise  neu  entdeckter  alter  Abschriften.    Halle:  1893. 

LEHRS,  MAX.  Zu  Durer's  Studium  nach  der  Antike.  Mittheil.  des  Instituts 
fiir  Oester.  Geschichtsforschung.    1880-84,  PP-  283-86. 

LEHRS,  MAX.  Die  erste  Jahrespublication  der  Internationalen  Chalkograph- 
ischen  Gesellschaft.  Repertorium  fiir  Kunstwissenschaft,  X,  1887  (see 
p.  102). 

100 


PAPERS  CONSULTED. 

LEHRS,  MAX.  Der  deutsche  und  niederlandische  Kupferstich  des  funfzehnten 
Jahrhunderts  in  den  kleineren  Sammlungen.  Repertorium  fiir  Kunstwissen- 
schaft,  XIII,  1890  (see  pp.  40,  41). 

LEHRS,  MAX.    Wenzel  von  Olmutz.    Dresden :  1889. 

LEITSCHUH,  FRIEDRICH.  Albrecht  Diirer's  Tagebuch  der  Reise  in  die 
Niederlande.  Erste  vollstandige  Ausgabe  nach  der  Handschrift  Johann 
Hauer's,  mit  Einleitung  und  Anmerkungen.    Leipsic:  1884. 

LIPPMANN,  FRIEDRICH.  Zeichnungen  von  Albrecht  Diirer  in  Nachbil- 
dungen.  Berlin:  1883  (Vol.  I),  1888  (Vol.  II),  1894  (Vol.  III).— A  fourth 
volume  has  just  been  issued,  but  it  was  received  too  late  for  use  in  the 
compilation  of  this  catalogue. 

LIPPMANN,  FRIEDRICH.  Der  Kupferstich.  Berlin:  1893.  [Handbucher 
der  Koniglichen  Museen  zu  Berlin.] 

LiiBKE,  WILHELM.  Albrecht  Durer's  sammtliche  Kupferstiche.  Mit  Text. 
Nach  den  besten  Originalen  des  Konigl.  Kupferstichcabinets  in  Miinchen, 
durch  unveranderlichen  Lichtdruck  in  Originalgrosse  reproducirt  von  J.  B. 
Obernetter.    Nuremberg:  [1876.] 

MERLO,  JOH.  JACOB.  Nachrichten  von  dem  Leben  und  den  Werken  Koln- 
ischer  Kiinstler.    Koln  :  1850. 

MIDDLETON-WAKE,  CHARLES  H.  Catalogue  of  the  engraved  work  of 
Albert  Diirer.  The  prints  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  execution.  [Cam- 
bridge, England:]  1893. 

NAGLER,  G.  K.    Kiinstler-Lexicon.    22  vols.    Munich:  1835-52. 

NAGLER,  G.  K.   Die  Monogrammisten.    5  vols.  Munich  and  Leipsic:   [n.  d.]. 

PASSAVANT,  J.  D.  Albert  Durer.  In  "  Le  Peintre-Graveur,"  Vol.  HI. 
Leipsic:  1862. 

ROSENBERG,  ADOLF.  Durerstudien.  Zeitschrift  fiir  bildende  Kunst,  VIII, 
p.  284,  etc. ;  p.  350,  etc;  IX,  p.  254,  etc. 

RUSKIN,  JOHN.  "  Durer  and  Salvator."  In  "  Modem  Painters,"  Part  IX, 
Chapter  IV. 

RUSKIN,  JOHN.  Ariadne  Florentina.  References  to  Diirer  in  Lectures  IV 
and  V,  and  Appendix,  Article  II,  Detached  Notes  ii  and  iii. 


LIST  OF  BOOKS  AND 


SCHMIDT,  WILHELM.  Wenzeslaus  de  Olomucz.  Kunstchronik,  XXII,  p.  193, 
etc. 

SCOTT,  VVM.  B.    The  earliest  etching.    The  Academy,  1874,  p.  402. 

SPRINGER,  ANTON.  Meister  W.  Zeitschrift  fiir  bildende  Kunst,  XII  (1887), 
pp.  1-8  and  38-42. 

SPRINGER,  ANTON.  Der  alteste  Kupferstich  Diirers.  Zeitschrift  fur  bildende 
Kunst,  New  Series,  I,  pp.  20-22.    (October,  1889.) 

SPRINGER,  ANTON.    Albrecht  Durer.    Berlin:  1892. 

SPRINGER,  JARO.  Diirer  und  der  Umrissstich  "  Die  Kreuzigung."  Jahrbuch 
der  K.  preuss.  Kunstsammlungen,  VIII,  p.  56,  etc. 

THAUSING,  MORIZ.  Diirer's  Briefe,  Tagebiicher  und  Reime,  nebst  einem 
Anhange  von  Zuschriften  an  und  fur  Diirer,  iibersetzt  und  mit  Einleitung,  An- 
merkungen,  Personenverzeichniss  und  einer  Reisekarte  versehen,  Vienna : 
1872. 

THAUSING,  MORIZ.  Albert  Durer,  His  Life  and  Works,  translated  from  the 
German.  Edited  by  Fred.  A.  Eaton.  2  vols.  London:  1882.  (This  trans- 
lation is  from  the  first  German  edition.) 

THAUSING,  MORIZ.  Durer,  Geschichte  seines  Lebens  und  seiner  Kunst. 
Zweite  verbesserte  Auflage.    2  vols.   Leipsic :  1884. 

THODE,  HENRY.  Die  Antiken  in  den  Stichen  Marcanton's,  Agostino  Vene- 
ziano's  und  Marco  Dente's.    Leipsic:  1881. 

THODE,  HENRY.  Durer's  "  Antikische  Art."  Jahrbuch  der  K.  preuss.  Kunst- 
sammlungen, III,  p.  106,  etc. 

VASARI,  GIORGIO.  References  to  Diirer  in  "  Marcantonio  and  Other  En- 
gravers of  Prints."  Mrs.  Jonathan  Foster's  translation  of  the  "  Lives,"  vol. 
Ill,  p.  485,  etc.    London  :  1865.    (Bohn's  Standard  Library.) 

[VON]  BARTSCH,  ADAM.  Le  Peintre-Graveur,  more  especially  "Albert  Du- 
rer" in  Vol.  VII.    Vienna:  1808. 

VON  EYE,  A.  Leben  und  Wirken  Albrecht  Diirer's.  2d  ed.  Nordlingen: 
1869. 

VON  RETBERG,  R.  Diirer's  Kupfersriche  und  Holzschnitte.  Ein  kritisches 
Verzeichniss.    Munich:  1871. 


102 


PAPERS  CONSULTED. 

VON  SALLET,  ALFRED.    Untersuchungen  uber  Albrecht  Durer.  Berlin: 
1874. 

VON  SEIDLITZ,  W.   Ein  neues  Selbstbildnis  Durers.   Jahrbuch  der  K.  preuss. 
Kunstsammlungen,  XV,  p.  23,  etc. 

VON  ZAHN,  ALBERT.    Durer's  Kunstlehre  und  sein  Verhaltniss  zur  Renais- 
sance.   Leipsic:  1866. 

WESSELY,  J.  E.     Das  Manuscript  von  Paul  Behaim's  Kupferstichkatalog  im 
Berliner  Museum.    Repertorium  fur  Kunstwissenschaft,  VI,  p.  54,  etc. 

YRIARTE,  CHARLES.    Autour  des  Borgia.    Paris:  189 1. 


GETTY  CENTER  LIBRARY 


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